Fairfax begins tourney with win

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

FAIRFAX -- Troy Sunken pitched eight-plus innings of five-hit ball to lead the Fairfax Cardinals to a 7-1 win over Dent Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the 2000 Class C State Amateur Baseball Tournament.

The right-hander struck out four in picking up the win over the Section 14C runners-up.

Chris Stoll took the loss for the Ramblers, who end their season with a 19-14 record.

Brian Jacobson led the 10-hit Fairfax attack with three hits and three RBI. Jon Deming and Mitch Nachreiner each added two hits with Deming cracking a solo home run.

Jamie Gaarsland led Dent with two hits.

Fairfax (21-8) will square off against Waterville (26-3) next at 11 a.m. Saturday in Fairfax. Waterville defeated Fort Ripley 6-4 in their game.

"Troy threw a real gem for us today," said Cardinal manager Gary Hess. "We started out a little shakey on defense today (four errors), but I think that is because we are very young and they get so jacked up."

Dent mounted a scoring threat in the second inning when Adam Ament reached second on a two-base throwing error by Card third baseman Andy Nelson with one out. He took third on a Jamie Gaarsland base hit before Sunken ended the inning by getting Ben Kvidt to ground out to first.

Fairfax scored quickly in tbe bottom half of the inning when Jon Deming continued his hot hitting by leading off the inning with a line-drive home run over the fence in left on a 3-2 pitch from the right-handed Stoll.

"I think that this is a home run in eight games in a row for him," commented Hess. "He has really stung the ball and has gotten us going offensively. That is why he is hitting in that fourth spot in our line-up."

The Ramblers again threatened in the top of the third, but a costly baserunning mistake by Dent quite possibly cost them the tying run. Adam Riedel laced a one-out single but was picked off first when he tried to time Sunken's pitch.

Jason Schram then reached on Nelson's second throwing error at third and Keith Aune walked. But Sunken got Jason Bruske to ground into an inning-ending force out.

While the Ramblers again did not score in the top of that inning. the Cardinals did in the bottom.

Mitch Nachreiner, Fairfax's leading hitter at .400, led off with a double to left. Blair Folkens walked and Brian Jacobson collected the first of three hits on the day, singling to load the bases.

Keith Buboltz's infield single plated Nachreiner for a 2-0 lead and a Deming sacrifice fly to center made it 3-0. A walk and an error scored the third run of the inning.

Dent finally put a run on the board, unearned, in the fourth inning. Ament walked and a one-out error moved him to third where he scored on a two-out Ernie Kawlewski single.

But the Cardinals matched that tally with one of their own in the bottom half of the fourth with two out.

Blair Folkens singled and went to second on a balk by Stoll. He scored on Jacobson's second hit, a single to left for a 5-1 Fairfax lead.

"Brian has been a big leader of us all year," said Hess. "He just continues to come through with the big hits for us. That was a big run."

Sunken held the Ramblers to just one hit from that point until Gaarsland led off the top of the ninth with a double, which ended his day.

Josh Wendlandt, a draftee from Brownton, came in and retired three straight hitters to end the game.

DENT 000 100 000--1 5 1

FAIRFAX 013 100 02x--7 10 4

W--Troy Sunken. L--Chris Stoll. 2B--Dent, Gaarsland; Fairfax. Nachreiner, B.Jacobson (F). HR--Fairfax, Deming.