Fairfield gets second sweep over Fort Madison boys

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BY ETHAN LILLARD
PCC SPORTS

FAIRFIELD - The first time Fort Madison took on the Southeast Conference baseball powerhouse that is Fairfield, the Hounds got swept 2-0 in the doubleheader back at Fort Madison High School. The Bloodhounds dropped game one 9-0 thanks to 6 2/3 innings and 14 strikeouts from Fairfield starter Kosta Papazogolou. The Trojans also went on to take game two by the final of 8-3.

Fort Madison traveled to Fairfield Monday to take on the Trojans on their home diamond in the final doubleheader between the two teams this season. Like the first time around, Fairfield swept the twin bill 2-0 and 11-6.

“Tip your hat to them,” Fort Madison Head Coach Ron Walker said. “Our guys competed and took good at bats. Sometimes the breaks don't always go your way.”

GAME ONE

Game one was a pitching duel between two seniors in Fort Madison's Dayne Cordray and Fairfield's Kosta Papazogolou. Unlike the last time the team teams met, Papazogolou didn't have as much control from the mound. After allowing just three walks the first time the Hounds and Trojans faced off, Papazogolou walked seven batters in game one Monday night.

But the free passes didn't really have a major impact on the game until the top of the third inning with Fort Madison trailing Fairfield 1-0.

Jace Burgher started the top of the third with a walk, before back-to-back outs led to Jason Thurman and Jordryn Gerdes collecting walks to load the bases. Unfortunately for the Hounds, Papazogolou came up with a timely strikeout, as Fort Madison stranded the bases loaded.

“He came out in the first inning and had 13 pitches and three strikeouts,” Walker said of Papazogolou.. “We kind of talked about, 'Hey, we might want to try to jump on this guy if he's going to be around the zone all night.'”

“We were ready to attack and a couple times we took good at bats, fouled some pitches off and I think got to him a little bit. Then he tried to over throw and we got to him and he threw a lot of extra pitches.”

Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Trojans in the bottom of the fifth inning. A wild pitch the next at bat brought in the second and deciding run for Fairfield.

Gerdes walked to start the sixth, but again back-to-back outs followed. Landes Williams collected a two-out walk, before a Cordray single loaded the bases for the Bloodhounds. Again, Papazogolou came up with a clutch strikeout, as the bases were stranded loaded for the second time.

Jason Thurman came up with a two-out single in the top of the seventh. Gerdes followed by getting hit by a pitch to put two runners on for the Hounds, but the following at bat resulted in a fielder's choice to give Fairfield the 2-0 win.

“Dayne did a great job of pitching to contact and pounding the strike zone and gave us a chance to win,” Walker said. “That's all we can ask for. The defense did a great job of making plays behind him and there again, we had a chance to win and that's all we can ask for going against a good team in Fairfield.”

GAME TWO

The end results of game two may not have looked the prettiest, but the fact the game went all seven innings was a true testament to the Bloodhounds drive.

After starting the top of the first inning with two-straight outs, Gerdes singled to spark a two-out rally. Vasin Thurman followed with a walk, before Tate Johnson singled to load the bases. Cordray then drew a walk himself to bring in the first run of the game before a pop out left the bases loaded for the Bloodhounds.

The momentum was short lived, as a big three-run homer from senior Austin Simpson snatched all the wind out of Fort Madison's sails in the home half of the first.

Fairfield extended the inning after the home run, going on to take a 5-1 lead into the second inning, before throwing up three more runs in the second for an 8-1 lead.

Rather than rolling over and playing dead, back-to-back walks to start the fourth inning led to a Jason Thurman single that loaded the bases for Fort Madison yet again. This time around, a fielder's choice led to a run coming across to score, but it would be the last as the Trojans stifled the inning with a perfectly executed double play.

After holding Fairfield to a three-up, three-down bottom of the fourth, the Hounds continued to chip at the lead to start the fifth.

Cordray was hit by a pitch, Landes Williams walked and Burgher singled to load the bases. Cordray then scored on a wild pitch, before a Garrett Hannum groundout brought in another run to make it 8-4. Fehseke also grounded out the next at bat, but scored Burgher in the process to cut the lead to 8-5.

The Trojans responded in the home-half of the fifth, hitting a double and then a single to get the lead back to 9-5. Fort Madison kept moving in the sixth.

Gerdes was hit by a pitch, Vasin Thurman walked and Johnson hit into a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners with one out. Cordray then came through with an RBI single, bringing the game back within three runs.

Again the hammer of Austin Simpson was the difference maker, as he sent a moon shot over the right field fence in the bottom of the sixth to make it an 11-6 game. Fairifield would go on to win by the 11–6 final after the Hounds were put down three straight in the top of the seventh.

“We could have laid down and walked out of here in four innings with our tail tucked between our legs, but we kept competing one pitch at a time and that shows a lot of character in our team,” Walker said. “We left here on a winning note by competing and coming back and fighting that second game.”

Burgher led the way at the plate in game two with a 2-for-4 day and one run scored. Fehseke, Gerdes, Cordray and Hannum each had an RBI. Burgher was hit with the loss, throwing 87 pitches over four innings, allowing nine hits and six earned runs.

baseball, Fairfield, fort madison, high school, Pen City Current, sports, varsity

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