BEATING THE THROW — Fairmont runner Landen Meyerdirk (right) beats the throw to Luverne third baseman Kaden Anderson following a putout at first base during second-round Section 3AA baseball action Saturday at Herb Wolf Field in Fairmont. Meyerdirk went on to deliver the game-winning RBI single with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells)

FAIRMONT — Jacob Crissinger pitched a three-hit complete-game masterpiece and Landen Meyerdirk delivered the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel the Class AA No. 1-ranked Fairmont Cardinals to a 1-0 postseason baseball victory over the Luverne Cardinals on Saturday.

Fairmont (20-2) advances to face Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta in a 7 p.m. undefeated cross-bracket third- round game Tuesday at Legion Field in Marshall.

Redwood Valley plays Paynesville in a 5 p.m. unbeaten-bracket game Tuesday in Marshall.

Redwood Valley shut out Pipestone, 8-0, in Saturday’s opener in Windom before upending No. 2-seeded host Windom Area, 12-3, in second-round South play.

Luverne faces Windom Area in a 7 p.m. elimination game Tuesday at Irish Park in Milroy.

Luverne eliminated No. 5-seeded Jackson County Central via a 4-2 first-round comeback win earlier Saturday in Fairmont.

“Baseball fans got to see two of the best in the section and southern Minnesota lock up in a pitchers’ duel today,” Fairmont head coach Don Waletich said in reference to Crissinger and Luverne sophomore right-hander Conner Connell, who fired a four-hitter through 7 1/3 innings before exiting the mound due to reaching the 115-pitch limit in the eighth. “Jacob has done everything we’ve asked of him, and he has kept our team on a roll.”

Crissinger recorded 10 strikeouts and issued only one walk in eight scoreless innings to earn the complete-game victory. The senior right-hander improved his seasonal record to 7-1 and lowered his ERA to a miniscule 1.36.

Connell nearly matched Crissinger’s impressive statistical line by notching 11 strikeouts, walked one and allowed one unearned run on just four hits in 7-plus innings of work to receive the tough loss.

Locked up in a scoreless tie, Gavin Rodning led off Fairmont’s eighth by drilling a hard grounder that hit the space where the infield grass merges with the dirt on the base paths and transformed into a bad-hop infield hit.

“Gavin put the ball in play with authority and we caught a break when it hit the infield lip and allowed him to leg it out for a hit,” said Waletich. “He had the green light to steal second and got into scoring position, and that was a huge play.”

Connell gloved an infield popup for the first out of the eighth, but exited due to the Minnesota State High School League’s pitch limit. Rodning advanced to third when teammate Levi Pooley’s grounder was mishandled before crossing the plate with the playoff game’s only run on Meyerdirk’s shallow RBI single to right.

“I just went up there (batter’s box) and put the bat on the ball and figured Rod would score on a sacrifice fly if it was caught,” said Meyerdirk, who produced his 20th RBI of the season from the No. 9 spot in the batting order. Meyerdirk ranks third on Fairmont in RBIs behind Eli Anderson (24) and Zach Jorgensen (23).

“He’s been very productive for us this season,” Waletich said in reference to Meyerdirk, who’s hitting a second-best .375 behind Anderson’s .423 clip.

Anderson went 2-for-3 and Nate Soelter added a hit for Fairmont. Kaden Anderson, Casey Sehr and Connell each had hits for Luverne.

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Winning run scored with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Conner Connell (LP), Casey Sehr (8) and Braydon Ripka. Jacob Crissinger (WP) and Zach Jorgensen.

LOB–Fairmont 4, Luverne 3. SAC–Conner Connell (LUV).