Photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont's Merritt Pomerenke touches home plate during game one of Thursday afternoon's 3AA Section Baseball Tournament Championship against Windom Area.

MARSHALL – Fairmont baseball fell short of completing the two-game sweep over Windom Area during Thursday night’s 3AA Section Baseball Tournament Championship.

After knocking off New London-Spicer two days prior to clinch the elimination bracket top spot, the Cardinals continued their momentum during game one against the Eagles, winning 12-6 to force a win-or-go-home title match. But the buck stopped there. Fairmont ultimately ran out of gas against a potent Windom Area lineup, falling 10-2 and ending its spring season.

The Cardinals finished the year with an impressive 21-6 record and won the Big South Conference Championship against Marshall on May 16. It’s the first time they breached the 20-win mark since the 2023 campaign.

Game one

Monday afternoon’s quarterfinal contest against Windom Area saw the Cardinals offense stall over the final five frames, accumulating no hits and only a handful of base runners. Game one was quite the opposite from start to finish.

Fairmont scored all 12 runs in the initial five innings to get ahead of the Eagles from the jump. Six different batters combined for the team’s 11 total hits.

Merritt Pomerenke and Isaac Stone each had three base knocks to bring in a pair of runners. Joey Crissinger had two hits, while Jensen Livesay, Mason Bicknase and Nolyn Goerndt had one. Goerndt’s double in the fourth frame drove in a pair of scores.

Noah Heckman collected another fine start on the mound for Fairmont. Spanning six innings, the sophomore struck out six batters and allowed five runs. His ability to force clean innings in the third, fourth and fifth frames helped the Cardinal offense create the separation they needed.

Game two

A once 3-1 Fairmont deficit going into the fourth inning turned to something far greater the rest of the way. The Eagles scored runs in the final four frames, three of which came in the sixth, to power their state clinching victory.

Joseph Hackett gave the Cardinals its opening run in the third after ripping a ball up the middle and bringing in Pomerenke from third base. Crissinger collected his second hit of the game at the bottom of the fifth, towering a fly ball over the left field wall to cut the deficit to four runs.

Mason Bicknase threw four and two thirds innings to open the game for Fairmont. He allowed a pair of hits and struck out one. Two of his six allowed runs were earned.