Trojans deal 6-2 loss to Cards

Charlie Sorrells - Sentinel Sports Editor
FAIRMONT — Justin Lewis had a no-hitter intact Friday, but Worthington baseball mentor Pat Shaughnessy did not hesitate in replacing the senior right-hander on the mound.

Lewis held Fairmont hitless through four shutout innings at Cardinal Park, but a leadoff walk and a hit batter to open the fifth frame ended his pitching stint.

“He normally plays outfield for us, but we (coaching staff) gave him a chance to throw in a nonconference situation today,” said Shaughnessy. “He did a good job of throwing strikes and kept them off the scoreboard, and that’s what we needed.”

Reliever Mitch Jensen received a fortuitous double play to work out of the fifth-frame jam before the Cardinals spoiled the Trojans’ no-hit and shutout bids during their final two at-bats.

Joe Ahrens went 3-for-3, including a solo home run during a four-run fifth, and scored two runs to spearhead Worthington’s 6-2 victory over Fairmont.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Lewis and Jensen kept the hometown lumber offstride, holding Fairmont to only three total hits on the game. Ironically, the red-and-white batting order was coming off a 14-hit performance, including four for extra bases, during a split South Central Conference doubleheader in Fairmont less than 24 hours earlier.

“We definitely didn’t hit the ball like we did yesterday,” said Cardinal mentor Todd Sukalski, whose lineup lowered its overall record to 4-9 with the loss.

No. 6 batter Derek Busswitz delivered the first clutch hit of the game with two out to end Fairmont starting pitcher Josh Fitzgerald’s shutout bid in the third.

After a Cardinal leadoff error on Steve Kremer’s grounder and Ahrens’ ensuing single, Fitzgerald notched one of his four strikeouts and got a groundout to keep the Trojans off the scoreboard. Busswitz, however, lined a key single up the middle to stake Lewis to an early 2-0 edge.

Ahrens then greeted Fairmont reliever Martin Tow by drilling a leadoff home run over the left-field fence to trigger Worthington’s four-run fourth.

Brandon Schroeder later produced a two-run single back through the box before the visitors’ final run scored on a Fairmont throwing error.

Cardinal cleanup hitter Brandon Wohlrabe ended the Lewis-Jensen no-hit and shutout bids by hammering a leadoff double to the right-center gap in the bottom of the sixth. Wohlrabe took third on Conner Guetter’s single before crossing the plate on Tyler Majeske’s RBI groundout.

Pinch hitter Brady Anderson drew a leadoff walk from Jensen in the home half of the seventh, moved 90 feet on Fitzgerald’s single and later scored on Brennan Holm’s RBI groundout.

Lewis recorded five strikeouts, hit three and walked two in four innings to net the victory for the Trojans.

Fitzgerald gave up two unearned runs on only three hits, struck out four and walked four in four frames to absorb the tough loss.

Tow allowed four runs – three earned – on five hits, struck out one and did not issue a walk in three relief innings.

Fairmont (4-9, 2-7 South Central) travels to Wells on Tuesday to face United South Central in another non-league game.

Worthington (6-5) plays host to Southwest Confer-ence opponent Marshall on Tuesday.

W’ton 002 040 0 – 6 8 3

Fmt. 000 001 1 – 2 3 3

Justin Lewis (WP), Mitch Jensen (5) and Steven Kremer. Josh Fitzgerald (LP), Martin Tow (5) and Brandon Splinter.

LOB–Fairmont 10, Worthington 6. 2B–Brandon Wohlrabe (F). HR–Joe Ahrens (W). SAC–Derek Busswitz (W).

Logan Peymann fired a five-hit complete game to help steer the Fairmont B-squad to an 18-5 victory over Worthington on Friday.

Peymann struck out seven, walked two and gave up five runs – three earned – in five frames to earn the victory.

Peymann also doubled home two runs for the Cardinals, while Will Hawkins went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

Preston Schultz produced two hits and three RBIs for Fairmont (10-2), Joey Fitzgerald delivered two hits and two RBIs, Jordan Petschke doubled home three runs, Joe Duflo doubled in two runs and Weston Bremer added a double.

Prep Softball

Martin County West 5, Le Center/Cleveland 4 — Paige Breneman batted 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs to lead the Mavericks to a 5-4 Valley Conference softball victory over the Coyotes on Friday in Le Center.

Martin County West’s Sabrina Steen added a 3-for-4 performance with a triple and two RBIs, including the run-scoring single in the seventh frame that knocked in the game-winning run.

Jackie Roberts was 2-for-3 at the dish for the visiting Mavericks.

Ali Dwyer batted 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Coyotes, while teammate Jenny Miller produced a 2-for-2 effort with one RBI.

Kendra Reker started inside the chalked circle for the Mavericks and received no decision. Reker gave up four runs in 2.1 innings of work with three strikeouts and three walks.

Roberts earned the victory in relief, giving up no runs in 4.2 innings of work with two strikeouts.

Coyote freshman phenom Taylor Murry struck out 10 and did not issue a walk in seven innings to absorb the one-run loss.

Martin County West (8-4, 5-2 Valley) faces Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove at 11 a.m. today at the eight-team Jackson County Central Invitational in Jackson.

MCW 120 100 1 – 5 10 1

LCC 202 000 0 – 4 7 1

Kendra Reker, Jackie Roberts (WP, 3) and Samantha Breneman. Taylor Murry (LP) and Ali Dwyer.