STIRRING UP THE DUST — Fairmont runner Cooper Steuber (right) stirs up the dirt as he makes a head-first slide into third base ahead of a low throw to Blue Earth Area’s Caleb Langager during Big South Conference baseball action Thursday night at Veterans Field in Blue Earth. (Photo by Greg Abel)

BLUE EARTH — The Class AA No. 1-ranked Fairmont Cardinals baseball team flexed its muscles during a 21-1 run-rule five-inning victory over the Blue Earth Area Bucs on Thursday at Veterans Field in Blue Earth.

“We pride ourselves on pitching and defense, and we hit the ball today,” Fairmont head coach Don Waletich said. “If you pitch and play defense, good things happen and we did that today.

“Baseball is a game of momentum. One day you have it and the next day you might not, but today we did.”

The Cardinals scored in every inning and finished with 14 hits of which three were for extra bases. They collectively hit for the cycle, hitting a double — Jack Kosbab in the first inning, a triple — Cooper Steuber in the third and a home run — Levi Pooley in the third.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning and added a single run in the second, batted around in the third while scoring eight runs, scored one in the fourth and batted around a second time in the game in the fifth inning and put six final runs in the books.

The Bucs scored their run in the fourth inning when Abe Kokos singled home Colton Hubly, who led off the bottom of the inning with a single.

Fairmont’s trio of pitchers — Landen Meyerdirk, Lincoln Becker and Trevor Maakestad — limited the BEA offense to only four hits. Defensively, the Cardinals did not commit an error, while the Bucs had five.

The Cardinals scored eight runs in their season opener earlier in the week and added 21 more to the statistical sheet on Thursday night, giving them 29 runs in two games.

Kosbab had a team-high four hits and five RBIs. He drove home two runs with the first-inning double, one with a single in the fourth and two more with a single in the fifth.

Cardinal Brendan Schmidtke added three hits to the cause and had one RBI, while Pooley’s towering home run was a three-run shot. Meanwhile, Steuber drove in one run in the first with a ground out and one run in the third with the triple. Four other Cardinals had one RBI — Becker, Brayden Koch, Schmidtke and Joseph Hackett.

Meyerdirk used his speed to get two infield singles and Becker also had two hits. Pooley, Steuber and Cole Wiemers had one hit apiece to round out the Cardinals’ 14-hit attack.

For BEA, Soren Fering, Hubly, Noah Dahl and Kokos had its four hits.

The Cardinals’ first four hitters in the first inning reached base and scored runs. Becker, Nate Soelter, Kosbab and Schmidtke each had a team-high three runs scored.

Meyerdirk earned the win by going two innings giving up no runs, two hits, one walk and struck out three.

Becker tossed two innings of relief for Fairmont, giving up one run, two hits, one hit by pitch and had one strikeout. Maakestad pitched the final inning and walked one and struck out one.

For BEA, Taylor Davids took the loss, pitching 2 2/3 innings, giving up 11 runs, nine hits, two walks and struck out one.

Levi Osborn pitched 1 2/3 innings for the hometown Bucs, giving up five runs on three hits, walked four and did not strike out anyone.

Hubly finished on the mound for Blue Earth Area, giving up five runs two hits, issued two walks and struck out the final batter Fairmont sent to the plate in the game.

Blue Earth Area (0-2) plays host to Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial at 5 p.m. today in a nonconference game in Blue Earth.

Fairmont (2-0) plays host to nonconference opponent Maple River at Herb Wolf Field in Fairmont at 5:30 p.m. tonight.

FMT    518 16 — 21 14 0

BEA    000 10 —  1   4 5

Landen Meyerdirk (WP), Lincoln Becker (3), Trevor Maakestad (5) and Joseph Hackett. Taylor Davids (LP), Levi Osborn (3) and Colton Hubly (5) and Carson Sturtz and Matthew Klabunde (5).

LOB–Fairmont 7; Blue Earth Area 5. SAC–Caleb Langager (Blue Earth Area). 2B–Jack Kosbab (Fairmont). 3B–Cooper Steuber (Fairmont). HR–Levi Pooley (Fairmont).