ABOVE: Fairmont’s Luke Haefner throws over to first for an out during a Big South Conference baseball game against New Ulm at Johnson Park on Monday. Photo by Brady Dennis.

NEW ULM — Joey Crissinger’s bases-loaded double in the top of the fourth inning sparked a six-run inning to erase a 3-1 New Ulm lead as the Cardinals went on to top the Eagles 11-5 Monday afternoon in a Big South Conference baseball game at Johnson Park.

Noah Heckman got the mound win for the Cardinals (4-1, 4-0). He went four innings and allowed three runs on two hits. Candon Briggs took the loss for New Ulm (4-1, 3-1). He went 3 2/3 innings and was charged with six runs. He struck out seven.

Crissinger and Josh Soelter each had three hits, with Crissinger driving in five runs. Zach Hubbard had two of the Eagles’ eight hits in the game.

“This was a very nice win for us against a very good New Ulm team,” Fairmont head coach Dan Waletich said.” We have four games this week — we had very timely hitting today and our relief pitching was good. Luke Haefner did that for us today (allowing just two runs) and that was a big shot in the arm.”

New Ulm head coach Mike Anderson said that the Eagles’ pitchers struggled to get strike one in the game.

“And we struggled to throw our second pitch,” he said.

The Eagles held a 3-1 lead after 2 1/2 innings, with all three of their runs coming courtesy of wild pitches. They saw that lead blow up in the fourth inning when Fairmont sent 10 men to the plate for six runs with the help of four walks.

A walk to Vincent Schultz, a Joe Long double and a one-out walk to Brayden Williamson loaded the bases. After Briggs got the second out of the inning, Crissinger drove a three-run double to left for a 5-3 Cardinals lead and ending Briggs day. Reliever Zach Hubbard was greeted by a Luke Haefner RBI single and later a run-scoring fielder’s choice.

“We had timely hitting,” Waletich said. “We saw him that third time and we adjusted — Joey’s hit was huge. He had been struggling, but he is finding his rhythm now.”

The Eagles came back with a run in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch before Fairmont added three more runs in the top of the fifth for a 10-4 lead. A Levi Hopp sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth made it a 10-5 game. Joe Long’s triple and a Soelter base hit made it an 11-5 contest.

“We need to raise our level of compete and we will be OK,” Anderson said.

New Ulm is at Marshall on Tuesday, while Fairmont is at Jackson County Central on Tuesday.