Cards split split twinbill

Charlie Sorrells - Sentinel Sports Editor
FAIRMONT — The pieces are finally starting to slowly fit together for the Fairmont baseball lineup.

Ace right-hander Brennan Holm fired a two-hit gem, while battery mate Logan Peymann produced two hits and three RBIs to engineer the Cardinals’ 6-2 South Central Conference triumph over the St. James Saints on Thursday in Fairmont.

Second-year mentor Todd Sukalski’s Cardinals then nearly delivered the biggest upset of the spring campaign against unbeaten league leader New Ulm in the nightcap of a split doubleheader.

The visiting Eagles converted a pair of unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning to exit Cardinal Park with a narrow 5-4 SCC win in hand.

“I started thinking there was something to it (sophomore jinx). Last year we came down here (Fairmont) and lost a close game to a sophomore pitcher in Martin Tow,” said New Ulm head coach Jay Backer. “Tonight, we have another Fairmont sophomore (Tyler Beck) throw a nice game against us.

“If they (Cardinals) make those two plays against us in the sixth, they probably earn a ‘W’ and give us our first conference loss of the season.”

Beck had held the high-octane Eagles to only three earned runs on six hits through five full frames. The hard-throwing Beck struck out five and walked five in seven innings of work to absorb the tough loss.

New Ulm staked ace right-hander Garrett Fischer to a 1-0 lead on the strength of Luke Altmann’s leadoff triple in the top of the second and Quinn O’Connor’s ensuing sacrifice fly, the Cardinal lumber awoke during the bottom of the third.

Martin Tow legged out a grass-hugging bunt along the first-base line, swiped second, stayed put on a one-out walk to Josh Fitzgerald and both Fairmont runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.

Chris Janssen legged out a high-chopped RBI infield hit over the mound to knot the game at 1-all. Holm then displayed his lethal bat by hammering a two-run double over the Eagle left fielder’s head to stake Beck to a 3-1 lead.

Garrett Fischer, however, dispelled the myth that prep pitchers cannot hit by depositing a Beck fastball over the left-field fence in the top of the fifth to knot the game at 3s. Kyle Hague, who had walked, scored on Fischer’s two-run homer.

Holm answered from the batter’s box during the home half of the fifth, however, to regain a 4-3 margin for the home team.

Tow, who had walked and reached second on an errant pickoff throw, circled the bases with the go-ahead run when Holm lined an RBI single to right with two out.

Back-to-back errors in the top of the sixth allowed New Ulm to slip ahead on the scoreboard, 5-4, before Fischer and Wade French preserved the one-run win.

Fischer, who struck out seven and walked five in firing an eight-hitter in 6.2 innings to earn the win, worked around Peymann’s second hit of the game and back-to-back walks with two out in the sixth by getting an infield popout.

A walk to Holm and Mark Origer’s infield hit in the seventh forced Backer to replace Fischer on the hill with French, and the Eagle right-handed reliever notched the game-ending strikeout.

“It definitely was an exciting game to the end,” said Fairmont mentor Todd Sukalski. “It’s encouraging that we’ve started to hit the ball with some authority.”

Peymann, who went a combined 4-for-6 on the split doubleheader, spearheaded the Cardinals’ improved hitting ways in Thursday’s opener against St. James.

Fitzgerald set the table by getting plunked by a pitch from Saints’ right-hander Chris Menssen and wheeled to third on Janssen’s hit-and-run single to right in the bottom of the first.

Holm drew a walk to load the bases before Brandon Wohlrabe launched a sacrifice fly to deliver Fitzgerald. Peymann stepped to the plate one out later and hammered a clutch two-run triple to center to extend Fairmont’s edge to 3-0.

Peymann tacked on his third RBI of the opener in the third when Wohlrabe reached on an infield hit, took second on a Saints’ error and scored on the Cardinal catcher’s single.

Origer doubled and scored on a St. James miscue in the fifth, while Zach Brooks was hit by a pitch in the sixth before pinch runner Andy Thompson swiped second and later scored when Janssen’s flyball was mishandled.

Holm allowed a first-inning double to Jordan Schmitz and a third-inning two-bagger to Austin Pinke over seven innings of work to earn the complete-game victory. Holm gave up two unearned runs on two hits, struck out three and walked four.

Fitzgerald added a fourth-inning triple to the Cardinals’ six-hit effort in Game 1.

Fairmont (4-8, 2-7 SCC) plays host to nonconference foe Worthington at 5:30 p.m. today at Cardinal Park.

St. James (5-6, 2-6) faces the host Eagles at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Windom Invite.

New Ulm (9-1, 7-0) hits the road to Marshall today for a non-league game.

St. James 001 100 0 – 2 2 4

Fairmont 301 011 x – 6 6 2

Chris Menssen (LP) and Tayler Swanson. Brennan Holm (WP) and Logan Peymann.

LOB–Fairmont 5, St. James 7. 2B–Mark Origer (F), Austin Pinke (SJ), Jordan Schmitz (SJ). 3B–Josh Fitzgerald (F), Peymann (F). SF–Brandon Wohlrabe (F). SAC–Brandon Menssen (SJ).

New Ulm 010 022 0 – 5 6 1

Fairmont 003 010 0 – 4 8 2

Garrett Fischer (WP), Wade French (7, Sv) and Rodney Drexler. Tyler Beck (LP) and Logan Peymann.

LOB–New Ulm 7, Fairmont 8. 2B–Luke Altmann (NU), Brennan Holm (F). 3B–Altmann (NU). HR–G. Fischer (NU). SF–Quinn O’Connor (NU).

Jordan Petschke threw four innings of one-hit baseball to guide the Fairmont B-squad to a 12-1 victory over St. James on Thursday.

Petschke did not allow an earned run, struck out seven and walked two to earn the pitching win.

Will Hawkins doubled home three runs to top the Cardinals’ offense, while Justin Heinrich doubled in two runs.

Alex Hodges supplied a double, while Conner Guetter and Richie Haycraft each singled for Fairmont (9-2).

Prep Softball

St. James 12, Fairmont 3 — Mallory Shellum produced five RBIs via a home run and a double to lead the Saints to a 12-3 South Central Conference softball victory over the Cardinals on Thursday in St. James.

Shellum also picked up the pitching win, giving up three runs - two earned - on seven hits in seven innings. She struck out five and walked six.

Erika Davison went 3-for-4, including a double, and generated two RBIs to top Fairmont, while Samantha Beck batted 2-for-4.

Cardinal starter Courtney Harris allowed 12 runs on eight hits in six frames, struck out five, walked three and hit two to take the loss.

Fairmont (3-9, 1-6) plays in the Hayfield Invitational on Saturday.

Fairmont 011 000 1 – 3 7 2

St. James 701 130 x – 12 8 4

Courtney Harris (LP) and Kayla Swanson. Mallory Shellum (WP) and Nikki Stenzel.