Fairmont 000 100 031 = 5-11-3
Windom 500 011 00x = 7-9-2
The Windom Pirates made an early lead stand up Wednesday night, as the Pirates opened the Region 10C championship series with a 7-5 victory over the Fairmont Martins at Island Park.
Windom plated five runs in the bottom of the first inning and built its lead to 7-1 after six innings before Fairmont rallied late.
The Pirates batted around in the bottom of the first. After back-to-back singles to start the game, the Pirates put down a pair of sacrifice bunts that resulted in run-scoring errors. Alex Fink drove in a run with a groundout, followed by RBI singles from Quintin Tietz and Kobe Lovell for a quick 5-0 lead.
The Pirates added a run in the fifth on a wild pitch and Hayden Tietz hit an RBI single in the sixth for a 7-1 lead.
Fairmont got three runs back in the top of the eighth inning, stringing together three straight two-out RBI singles. But relief pitcher Kobe Lovell coaxed a groundout on the first pitch he threw, getting out of the inning.
The Martins then mounted a threat with two outs in the top of the ninth, scoring a run on a double and having the potential go-ahead run at the plate, but reliever Soren Nielsen recorded a strikeout to end the threat and the game.
Drew Rothenberger and Quintin Tietz each had two hits in the victory.
Luke Gilbertson worked the first 7-⅔ innings, allowing 10 hits and striking out two for the victory.
Game two of the best-of-three series is scheduled to be played Friday at Fairmont, beginning at 7:30 p.m. A third game, if necessary, would be played Sunday at Island Park, beginning at 2 p.m.
In the first game of the best-of-three series to determine the third seed out of Region 10C, Jackson claimed a come-from-behind 5-3 victory at Luverne. Game two of that series is Friday in Jackson at 7:30 p.m. A third game, if necessary, would be Sunday in Luverne at 2 p.m.
