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Fairmont Holds On For Win

By MN Baseball Hub and Star Tribune Staff, 06/14/12, 5:28PM CDT

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Freshman Spencer Chirpich pitches gem for Cardinals


Fairmont pitcher Spencer Chirpich, right, celebrates with teammates after defeating Roseau 3-2 in their Class 2A state high school baseball quarterfinal game at Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud Thursday, June 14, 2012. Genevieve Ross/Special to the Star Tribu

Forget about age. Year in school is meaningless. It’s experience that matters and it was experience that made all difference for Fairmont Thursday.

The Cardinals were making their third consecutive trip to Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud for the Class 2A state tournament. Roseau was there for the first time. That, said Fairmont coach Todd Sukalski, was the biggest factor in the Cardinals victory.
 
“I think it’s worth at least a couple of runs,” Sukalski said. “The past two years, we’ve made errors in the first innings of our games. Today, we played a clean game.”
 
At first glance, Fairmont pitcher Spencer Chirpich may have looked like the antithesis to Sukalski’s theory. A first-year freshman who barely hits 150 pounds on the scales, Chirpich pitched like a veteran. He gave up just one earned run, scattered five hits and struck out five, outdueling Roseau senior Logan Hulst.
 
“He’s probably played more baseball than anyone else on our team,” Sukalski said. “He plays amateur ball, [American] Legion ball. We played six games against ranked teams this year and he’s started and won the all.”
 
Chirpich had the added bonus of an early two-run lead, thanks to Michael Forster’s two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the first inning.
 
“Those two runs were huge for us,” Chirpich said. “All I had to do was go out and pitch my game.”
 
Now skilled in handling state tournament pressure, the Fairmont players were all business after the game.
 
“We’ve got two more games to win,” said Forster, a senior first baseman. “We’ve been here before, we’re relaxed, we know what to expect. So far, so good.

Game Recap

The Fairmont Cardinals edged out the Roseau Rams for the Class AA quarterfinal on Thursdsay with a final score of 3-2.  Both starting pitchers went the distance, with Fairmont's Spencer Chirpich giving up only one earned run, two total, to the Rams.

Fairmont scored two with two out in the bottom of the first on a single, a walk, and a double. Bryce Holm singled in Mitch Pfingston in the bottom of the fourth for the eventual winning run.

The Cardinals will face Holy Family Catholic on Friday at 12:00 on Dick Putz Field for the AA semifinals.   

-Kristi Bostrom, MN Baseball Hub Staff

Three Stars

1. Spencer Chirpich, Fairmont
Only a freshman, he took the hill and started mowing down Rams from the start. Allowing only one earned run, Chirpich faced only six more batters than the minimum.

2. Michael Forster, Fairmont
In a game where hits were hard to come by, Forster came through in the clutch. His two run double in the bottom of the first inning put his team on top for good.
 
3. Alex Strand, Roseau
This speedy sophomore was almost the entirety of the Rams offense. He knocked in a run in the 3rd and manufactured another run in the sixth by himself. After a single, he took second base on a wild pitch. Then, on a ground out to third base, he took off for third and caused a throw that got by the fielder which allowed him to trot home for the Rams final run of the game.
 
-Jake Lunemann, MN Baseball Hub Staff

 

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