HOMERIN’ — Fairmont’s Nevaeh Rahm rounds third base after smacking a solo home run during Big South Conference softball action against New Ulm on Tuesday night in New Ulm. (Photo courtesy of Travis Rosenau/New Ulm Journal Sports Editor)

NEW ULM — Much like the first time Fairmont and New Ulm played this season, Tuesday’s Big South Conference softball matchup at New Ulm High School was a pitcher’s duel.

After pitcher Tegan Livesay helped the Cardinals shut out the Eagles 3-0 in Fairmont earlier this season, the Eagles utilized their bunt and heads-up baserunning to get payback and a comeback in a 4-1 win.

Livesay struck out 18 and allowed one hit in the Cardinals’ win against the Eagles on April 11, and she didn’t take much of a step back on Tuesday as she fanned 15 and gave up two hits with no walks.

However, the speedy Eagles got enough going in the later innings to tie the game and eventually take the lead, benefitting on some Fairmont errors.

Down 1-0 in the fifth, Gracie Linbo finally got the Eagles into the hit column with a leadoff bunt back to Livesay, who slid on the dirt and was unable to make the throw to first. Linbo quickly stole second and later swiped third base, which was open as Fairmont played in to defend the bunt.

Linbo then came home to tie it after Brya Aschenbrenner laid down a squeeze bunt.

In the bottom of the sixth, Glaser led off with a bloop single into shallow left-center. Lauren Schmiesing ran for Glaser and then stole second before a bunt by Berkley Wilfahrt was thrown away at first, allowing Schmiesing to score.

Wilfahrt swiped second base before Kenzie Enter dropped down a bunt that again was thrown by the first baseman for another error. Wilfahrt came home as the ball continued to roll away in foul territory, and Enter ended up coming all the way around to score to put the Eagles up 4-1.

It took a while for the Eagles to start making contact off of Livesay, who struck out 10 in a row before Brooklyn Lewis got a bunt down for an out.

But when the Eagles did start getting on top of the ball and dropping bunts down effectively, it was hard to stop.

“The thing that I loved about their at-bats, though, they didn’t quit, they didn’t give up,” Eagles head coach Kristi Andersen Loose said. “We were one, two, three innings with nine strikeouts. And it would’ve been really easy to come into those next at bats with, ‘Well, here we go again, just like last time.’ And some of them, Calyn Glaser had a 3-2 count with some foul balls, base hit, it was such a great way to start off that last inning of runs for us. And the girls really rallied behind it and they just kept going.

“And, yes, undoubtedly, we have a fast team. It helps us with grabbing some extra bases and really puts pressure on when we get the bunt down, you don’t have time to make decisions, you have to make a decision if you’re going to get that out. So it puts a ton of pressure on defenses.”

The small-ball approach New Ulm showed was not unexpected by Fairmont, but Cardinals head coach Cory Hainy said an inability to execute was costly.

“We talked about that before the game that we know that they like to do that,” Hainy said. “And Tegan’s had a pretty good run, so we knew that they would probably end up doing that. And at the end there, we just didn’t execute it. I don’t think that we weren’t ready for it, we just didn’t quite execute that.

“And, hey, give them [New Ulm] credit, they’re good at that, that’s why they do it.”

Despite the game getting away from the Cardinals, Andersen Loose complimented Livesay for her performance in the circle.

“She keeps the ball out of the red zone, she makes you work for finding a good pitch to hit,” Andersen Loose said of Livesay. “She throws a lot of pitches that look like they’re going to be great pitches to hit, and her screwball really was working today. And she’s going D-I for a reason, she’s got great movement and command of the ball.

“So there’s not a lot you can do to work on to try to figure that out when it’s not something you see every day.”

After both pitchers struck out the side in the first inning, Nevaeh Rahm homered to center to lead off the second and put Fairmont up 1-0.

Emily Muller singled later in the inning for Fairmont’s last hit of the game until Livesay’s leadoff single in the seventh.

“We talked a little bit about in years past if we had lost 4-1 to New Ulm, we’d go, ‘Hey, that’s a win for us,'” Hainy said. “That’s not a win for us anymore, we’re past that this year. So we’re expecting to win every game, so when we don’t, it’s hard, but it’s tough to go undefeated, too, no matter who you’re playing. And, obviously, New Ulm’s one of the best teams in the state, not just our section, and our section is loaded.”

Ramsey Hopp finished Tuesday’s complete-game win with 11 strikeouts while giving up three hits and no walks.

“She wanted to get some moments back in the last game that we played with Fairmont,” Andersen Loose said of Hopp. “And she really zoned in on just working hard at hitting spots and mixing her pitches and just being much more in control. And that’s what Ramsey was for us all year last year. And she’s got new catchers to get used to this year, and that’s a big change when your catcher changes. This is our third game now, so they’ve adjusted incredibly well and they’re really starting to gel and figure it out.”

Fairmont (5-1) hosts Waseca for a doubleheader starting at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. New Ulm (2-1) hosts Worthington at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

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St. Clair/Mankato Loyola 11, Granada-Huntley-East Chain/ Martin Luther/Truman 1 — Jaylee Ely produced three RBIs with two hits while Irie Hansen collected two hits and scored three runs to help spearhead the Spartans’ five-inning run-rule victory over the Jaguars on Tuesday in St. Clair.

Ely doubled, singled and scored once during the Valley Conference game, while teammate Hailey McGehee doubled and collected a game-best four RBIs for the Spartans.

Adeline Lotton singled, walked twice and crossed the plate three times for the Spartans, while Natalie Kasprowicz contributed one hit and two RBIs.

McGehee allowed one unearned run on three hits, walked one and did not record a strikeout in three innings pitched to net the win for the Spartans. Lydia Klaseus gave up two hits and walked one in two shutout innings of relief.

Keira Benck collected one of the Jaguars’ five hits and scored on Londyn Bowers’ sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning. Mandy Pytleski, Madisen Lewis, Addison Sill and Ashlyn Cook each produced one hits for the Jaguars.

Lewis allowed 11 runs — only five earned — on seven hits, walked five and struck out four in 4 2/3 innings pitched.

The Jaguars travel to Mountain Lake on Friday for a 4:30 p.m. non-league game against Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey.