Photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont Jr. Legion Post 36's Archer Pomerenke delivers a pitch in the first inning of Monday night's contest against Maple River Junior Legion.

FAIRMONT – The first seven pitches of Archer Pomerenke’s Monday night start for Fairmont Jr. Legion Post 36 didn’t look promising. A plunking of Javen Byram was quickly followed by a Chase Urban walk moments later. It was two quick baserunners for Maple River Junior Legion.

However, as Cardinals head coach Josh Peterson alluded to following the contest, his right-hander is “even keeled.” Pomerenke’s poise isn’t typically affected by a handful of negative results. The rest of his performance proved this statement true.

After fanning two batters to escape the first-inning jam, Pomerenke continued to glide through his remaining three frames, fanning seven more batters en route to his shutout performance.

Fairmont used the lights-out pitching to its advantage. Putting up crooked numbers in the third and fifth frames, the Cardinals ultimately toppled Maple River Junior Legion 10-0 at Winnebago Diamonds Sports Complex, moving to 4-2 on the summer. Fairmont has won four of its past five contests.

Pomerenke’s early precision allowed Fairmont’s offense to settle into the contest with ease. And it took the first few innings to do so.

A 1-2-3 first inning from Maple River arm Nolan Vait was followed by a more elongated frame with an early scoring chance. Caden Wikert’s single was followed by two more base hits from Pomerenke and Louis Grensteiner, loading the bases.

Vait escaped trouble after forcing Lucas Bushian to ground out to his middle infield, but the early momentum in the batter’s box would later explode.

“I just knew it was going to happen at some point,” Josh Peterson said. “We got under so many of those balls in the first and second innings.”

The Cardinals’ scoring surge began with a dropped third strike. Bennett Draper used his speed from home to fly down the first baseline and start the third with an immediate baserunner. Brayden Williams’s first-pitch single was followed by a walk to Brock Rodning, a few pitches later, loading the bases once more.

This time there was a conversion. A clutch hit to bring runners in. Mason Bicknase was the early hero when his first of two hits flew through the left side of the infield to plate Draper and Williamson with ease.

Rodning and Bicknase scored on a walk and a passed ball before Pomerenke’s two-RBI single up the middle completed the octane inning for Fairmont. An impressive frame that saw timely hitting and speed on the basepaths.

“Once we got on top of them [the baseball], we were going to be just fine,” Josh Peterson said. “We got a couple of runners on, and I knew we would be off to the races. A lot of good players.”

Pomerenke ended his night with one last quick inning. His ninth strikeout of the contest against Urban was followed by two more outs by the heart of Maple River’s batting order. Pomerenke’s four frames saw zero hits and just two free bases. It was complete dominance after the first inning.

“He’s very even-keeled. He’s not a lot of up, not a lot of down,” Josh Peterson said. “He worked through that [first inning] and then just got into a groove to find his way the rest of the way.”

Fairmont added four runs in the fifth to kick in the mercy rule. Bicknase led the frame with an infield single in between second and third base. Consecutive walks from Preston Geerdes, Wickert and Troy Peterson plated the seventh Cardinal run.

Pomerenke’s chopper to shortstop tacked on another before Wickert and Troy Peterson both scored on a wild pitch that got caught behind the plate.

The Cardinals will play Martin County West this Wednesday back at the Winnebago Diamonds Sports Complex, starting at 6:00 p.m.