Martins survive thriller at Herb Wolf Field
Fairmont takes 1-0 lead in Region 10C semifinal
Trending
FAIRMONT - Jackson wasn't going to make things easy. The four spots between them and the Fairmont Martins in the Region 10C playoff seedings didn't matter. This three-game semifinal series was going to be a rock fight, regardless of what happened in the regular season.
The final inning of Game One on Wednesday night proved it.
Spencer Chirpich walked onto the mound with the bases loaded and one out, his team holding onto a three-run cushion. Jack Hested, after tossing two solid innings, surrendered three of the first four base runners to give the Bulls momentum. A change was needed.
"It was the plan all along for him to close," Fairmont manager Levi Becker said. "Maybe should have gone to him right away, even though Jack [Hested] had two really clean innings. But he was the plan for closing out the game, if that was the case."
Jackson quickly trimmed the lead to one. Cael Miller drew a bases-loaded walk before Andy Wolf followed with an RBI single, leaving the bases loaded with only one out. Plenty of time to deliver a punishing blow.
However, one pitch was all it took for Chirpich to deliver the game-ending double play. A double play that wasn't ordinary.
Blake Evans' pop-up to third base was immediately called an infield fly by the umpire. As the ball dropped next to Derek Shoen's left, Jackson's Alex Bretzman was caught in between third and home in an attempt to tie the game. Shoen made an easy flip to catcher Zach Jorgenson after the mad scramble.
Fairmont players slowly trotted onto the field in a sense of joy and slight confusion, taking a second to understand how the inning - and Game One - had just ended. But it didn't matter how unorthodox the final sequence was. All that mattered was the victory.
"Basically, it was a smart baseball player making a smart baseball play," Levi Becker said with a chuckle.
The lighthearted postgame inflections from Levi Becker show how impactful taking Game One is. Fairmont's 4-3 victory not only moves its record to 14-5 on the season, but pushes the team one game closer to securing a bid to the 2026 Class C State Baseball Tournament.
"That's our mentality. We are one win away from clinching," Levi Becker said. "Let's do this on Friday so we don't have to turn around and play [Game Three] on Sunday... The goal is to be full steam ahead, take care of business and get our last win against Jackson."
The game-ending play perfectly summed up how the Martins pulled off the victory. It wasn't always pretty, but it worked.
Fairmont's offense never delivered the loud inning fans have seen during its last series against the Worthington Cubs in the Region 10C quarterfinals. It was, in fact, quite the opposite. No powerful doubles or fence-clearing home runs. But an ability to make enough small plays with runners in scoring position. That was the key.
"Those guys are scrappy, and that's exactly what [Ryan] Rasche was too," Levi Becker said of the opposing starting pitcher. "He wasn’t overpowering, but he'll place a curveball or a changeup in there when he needs to. But we scored by manufacturing runs."
It started in the first inning with the speed of Eli Anderson. After leading off the frame with a hit by pitch, the former Purdue Boilermaker handily took second and third base with a pair of steals. Joey Crissinger did his part by sending a ball deep into right field, giving Anderson plenty of time to trot home and even things at one. Fairmont played with this brand of baseball all night.
Martins’ starting pitcher Josh Smith immediately found footing after the quick hiccup in the first. Smith laced zeros on the scoreboard over the next five innings. While surrendering eight hits and a walk, the right-hander utilized his defense on multiple instances to escape trouble, including two inning-ending double plays in the second and fifth innings. He finished with one strikeout.
"Josh gave up that one [run] right away, but he settled in," Levi Becker said. "He knew he had really good defense behind him. We didn't have an error the whole game, and those double plays were monster. When you have [Derek] Shoen, Luke [Becker], Spencer [Chirpich] and Jon Traetow in the infield, that's as good as you're going to get for turning two."
Rasche's precision in the zone limited Fairmont bats from having that crooked inning. Despite allowing the leadoff batter on in five of his seven innings, he continued to limit damage. Many of his eight strikeouts were timely.
This didn't prevent the Martins from scrapping together three more runs in the third, fifth and seventh innings. Whether it was Shoen's foul ball flyout that brought in a tagging Luke Becker, or Chirpich's grounder up the middle that drew a run via fielder's choice, Fairmont was scoring any way they could. Shoen recorded the only RBI hit for the Martins after his single in the fifth.
"We didn't score on our doubles or big-time hits," Levi Becker said. "It was more just manufacturing runs tonight. We missed some opportunities with bases loaded or with guys on second and third. We were looking for that big hit, and it never came. But luckily, we mustered together those runs when we needed them."
Hested relieved Smith after the sixth inning. He tossed two scoreless frames that saw zero hits and three strikeouts. The Martins’ pitching staff finished with five walks, four strikeouts and nine hits. It's the 14th time Fairmont has allowed three runs or less this season.
Game Two of this Region 10C semifinal matchup will take place at Wacker Field in Jackson on Friday. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m.