KNUCKLING DOWN — Fairmont on-deck batter Brylee Miller (1) congratulates teammate Ava Gillmore after Gillmore doubled and scored in the bottom of the sixth inning of their second-round Section 2AA softball playoff game against Medford on Thursday at Cardinal Park in Fairmont. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Fairmont ace right-hander Tegan Livesay has rewritten each and every one of the Cardinal softball program’s single-game and single-season pitching records this spring.

The Southeast Missouri State University softball commit picked up in the playoffs on Thursday where she left off during the regular season.

Livesay recorded a sectional-game school-record 20 strikeouts in firing a one-hit complete-game gem, while battery mate Chantel Moeller went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to engineer Fairmont’s 7-1 second-round Section 2AA victory over the No. 10-seeded Medford Tigers at Cardinal Park.

No. 2-seeded Fairmont (18-2) advances to face No. 3-seeded Belle Plaine (18-4) in a 2 p.m. third-round unbeaten-bracket game on Saturday at Caswell Park in North Mankato. The Tigers edged No. 6-seeded St. James Area, 4-3.

“We set a single-season school record for wins with our 18th today,” said Fairmont head coach Cory Hainy, “but it wasn’t easy by any means.

“I’m glad we turned up our offense during the bottom of the sixth inning just for the sake of my sanity,” Hainy continued with a laugh. “I was having a flashback to our Jackson (County Central) regular-season game where we kept putting runners on base, but couldn’t score.”

Tied at 1-all after four and a half innings, Livesay and Moller combined from the batter’s box to break the deadlock.

Livesay, who went 2-for-4, drilled a vaporized one-out single to left field before courtesy runner Gabby Leiding swiped second base during the bottom of the fifth. After Medford starting pitcher Mackenzie Velishek notched a strikeout, Moeller pounded a pivotal RBI single up the middle to plate Leiding for a 2-1 margin.

“Chantel’s hit definitely took a little of the pressure off of us during the home half of the fifth,” said Hainy. “To come up with a run-scoring hit during a two-out situation was clutch on her part.”

With Livesay piling up the Ks in the scorebook to keep the Tigers’ batting order at bay, Emily Muller slugged a leadoff triple to trigger the Cardinals’ offensive avalanche during the bottom of the sixth.

“Emi’s triple opened the proverbial flood gates for us,” said Hainy.

Muller scored on Ava Gillmore’s crushed RBI double down the left-field line before Gillmore crossed the plate when Ava Terfehr singled to center. Brylee Miller’s deep fly ball to the left-center gap was dropped to bring home Terfehr before Miller later scored on a Medford error on Livesay’s infield popup.

Moeller then capped Fairmont’s five-run outburst by lining an RBI single up the middle for a 7-1 lead on the scoreboard.

Moeller served as the Cardinals’ catalyst during the home half of the second when she legged out an infield hit via a topped spinner in front of the plate. Courtesy runner Haleigh Grotzinger wheeled to second on Abi Sundeen’s ground out before circling the bases for a 1-0 lead on Emily Muller’s RBI single down the third-base line.

Medford scored its lone run when Jen McGuire reached on an error and later scored on Grace Keller’s RBI single. Keller’s hit was the only one for the Tigers.

Emily Muller, Gillmore and Livesay each collected two hits for the Cardinals, while Nevaeh Rahm and Terfehr added one apiece.

Livesay struck out the first nine batters she faced and did not issue a walk in seven innings pitched to earn the complete-game victory.

Velishek allowed seven runs — four earned — on 11 hits, struck out three and walked two in going the distance to absorb the loss for the Tigers.

MED    001 000 0 — 1 1 4

FMT    010 015 x — 7 11 1

Mackenzie Velishek (LP) and Jade Laue. Tegan Livesay (WP) and Chantel Moeller.

LOB–Fairmont 6, Medford 1. 2B–Ava Gillmore (FMT). 3B–Emily Muller (FMT).

Section 2A Playoffs

New Ulm Cathedral 3, Martin County West 2 — Sydnee Helget reached on an error and scored the game-winning run on another fielding miscue in the bottom of the eighth inning to help the No. 2-seeded Greyhounds avoid an upset via a one-run Section 2 win over the No. 7-seeded Mavericks on Thursday in New Ulm.

New Ulm Cathedral faces No. 6-seeded Sleepy Eye Public in a winners-bracket game at 10 a.m. Saturday at Caswell Park in North Mankato. The Indians stunned No. 3-seeded Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey, 5-3.

Martin County West (13-5) plays Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey in a 10 a.m. elimination game Saturday at Caswell Park.

Trailing 2-1 going into the last of the seventh inning, the Greyhounds’ Ava Brennan reached on an error, moved to second base on Madelyn Haala’s single and wheeled to third on Jaylin Hartness’ sacrifice bunt.

The Mavericks intentionally walked Kiah Helget to create a force-out situation, but Lily Brennan followed with an RBI single to force extra innings.

Maddie Carlson produced two of the Mavericks’ three hits — including an RBI single, Lina Arnold contributed a run-scoring ground out, while Cami Clow added a hit.

Carlson allowed three runs — all unearned — on nine hits, struck out one and walked one in seven-plus innings pitched to absorb the tough loss for MCW.

Megan Haala gave up two runs on three hits, struck out four, hit two batters and issued one walk in eight innings of work to earn the complete-game win for NUC.