ABOVE: Fairmont's Vincent Schultz eyes down a pitch against Marshall Friday evening at Legion Field. The Cardinals fell to the Tigers 10-0 in five innings.

MARSHALL — The Fairmont baseball team faced defensive struggles in a 10-0 five inning loss to Marshall in a rematch of last weekend’s Big South Conference Championship. The Tigers embarked on an eight-run fifth inning off a series of earned runs to end the game in mercy rule.

“We were hoping to play good going into the playoffs, but Marshall kind of kicked us in the teeth again,” Fairmont head coach Don Waletich said. “But, we got to refocus now and hopefully that will wake us up a little bit. We’re going to just flush that one away.”

Joe Long threw for 4 1/3 innings of the five, and finished with one strikeout, two walks and five earned runs. Marshall’s Liam Kruse pitched the entire game and finished with six strikeouts and no walks.

“I thought Joe Long pitched very well. We just didn’t get any outs behind him at all,” Waletich said. “Their [Marshall’s] kid, Kruse, pitched again very well against us. We can’t figure him out, he’s just very good.”

Marshall recorded seven hits and one error to the Cardinal’s one hit and one error. Mason Bicknase had the lone hit for Fairmont.

In a competitively close start between the two, Marshall scored a run in each the second and fourth between a walk with loaded bases and aggressive baserunning from Cooper Mensink to set up a lead.

The Tigers flustered Fairmont with pitching struggles in the midst of their fifth-inning offensive surge with keeping bases occupied, and forced two pitching changes.

With a 2-0 lead stepping up to the plate in the fifth, Andrew Stelter got the scoring started after being hit by a pitch and made his way around the bases from a Kruse double line drive to left field.

Braxton Koster also was hit by a pitch, and Deagen Maurice hit a single to get bases loaded for the Tigers.

Waletich made the first change with sending in Brayden Williamson as relief with one out, however allowed another three Marshall runs with a hit by pitch, a single RBI hit and a walk.

Joseph Crissinger was sent in as the second relief pitcher, still with one out. Hits from Carter Prins and Stelter, along with another pair of walks allowed Marshall four more runs.

“We were just trying to get outs by throwing strikes, and we had a hard time throwing strikes today,” Waletich said. “We couldn’t figure out a formula to get them out today, but that happens.”

Marshall ended the night with Koster back up to bat, and Stelter stole home from third base off a passed ball.

After a scoreless first inning, the Tigers got bases loaded in the bottom of the second with one out when Prins was walked to automatically give Maurice from third base home and gave Marshall the 1-0 edge.

Bases remained occupied, but a Long strikeout and a pop fly catch in right field by Vincent Schultz ended the inning and prevented the Tigers from extending their lead.

Mensink got on base with a bunt in the fourth inning, and stole second and third off the same play due to a Fairmont defensive error in an attempt to throw down to second base for the tag-out.

Mensink charged home for Marshall’s second run after tagging third off a Brody Wixon sacrifice fly ball to center field.

Fairmont (17-3) received the first seed in the South division of the Section 3AA Tournament, earning a bye into the subsection semifinals. The Cardinals will play the winner of No. 4 Windom and No. 5 Pipestone on Thursday at 5 p.m. at home.

“We are just going to keep trying to get better,” Waletich said. “We don’t know who we will play yet, but we’ll just get to practice and keep getting better, and we’ll see what happens.”