Fairmont runs past Worthington, advances in playoffs
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WORTHINGTON - It didn't take long for the Fairmont Martins' offense to get cooking. After six pitches from Worthington's Justin Saufley, Fairmont already had three runs on the scoreboard, thanks to singles from Eli Anderson and Spencer Chirpich, and a powerful home run off Luke Becker's bat.
The Martins used this quick punch as their momentum for the rest of Saturday afternoon's contest at Trojan Field. Their nine runs in the opening frame made way for the eventual 16-4 victory over the Cubs, winning Game Two of this Region 10C quarterfinal matchup to advance to the semifinals.
Fairmont improves its record to 13-5 on the season, winning six of its past seven contests.
"This was a good series to get both the hitting and pitching going heading into the next round," Fairmont Martins manager Levi Becker said. "We're down to the final four teams with three state bids on the line. One more series punches our ticket."
Luke Becker's left field blast seemed to be just the beginning to Fairmont's most explosive inning this season. Joseph Hackett added the next score with a chopper through the right side of the infield. Both he and Zach Jorgenson tacked on runs moments later after a pair of Saufley wild pitches
Anderson stamped the scoring onslaught with a three-run home run that brought in Ben Abel and Vincent Schultz from second and third. Fairmont's second long ball marked the seventh hit of the inning. An inning that saw 10 batters reach base in multiple ways.
"We wanted to be aggressive early on, and that's exactly what happened," Levi Becker said. "A huge first inning set the tone for the game thanks to a couple balls that got in the jet stream and blew out to left field."
Outside of Tyler Linder's two-run homer in the bottom of the third, Chirpich, much like his team's offense, dominated through his six innings of work. His 12 strikeouts neutralized Cubs hitters all contest long. It set up Fairmont to remain aggressive and attacking at the plate.
And they did just that. RBI hits from Anderson and Chirpich helped Fairmont add two and three runs in the fourth and fifth innings. The Martins’ No. 1 and No. 2 hitters had four hits apiece while driving in seven runs and scoring eight times.
Levi Becker added the final piece to the puzzle with one more timely Fairmont hit. His first base knock of the contest stretched into a double that found right field grass, scoring Anderson and Chirpich, respectively.
The Martins’ offensive output during their series against Worthington was prolific. 25 runs, 22 hits and 22 RBIs torched the Cubs pitching staff. While different players are shifted in and out of the batting order depending on the night, Levi Becker is confident his team will still deliver. They've seen enough baseball to do so.
"Even though our lineup changes a lot depending on what guys are there, we know that we can put a deep lineup together," Levi Becker said. "Each guy knows their role and what they can do to help the team win."
"Most of the guys on the roster have played in some big-time baseball games, whether it’s been high school, college or in our playoff and state games for the Martins," he continued. "Our pitching has been the key to our success, and having key guys at the top of the lineup, everyone else feeds off that once things get rolling."
No. 2 Fairmont will face the No. 6 Jackson Bulls this week for a chance to advance to the Region Championship. Game One is at Herb Wolf Field on Wednesday, with Game Two at Wacker Field on Friday. Game Three, if necessary, will occur back at the Martins’ home turf on Sunday. The Bulls earned their way here after upsetting the No. 3 Milroy Irish in two games. Games One and Two start at 7:30 p.m., with Game Three at 2:00 p.m.