Lions freeze Green Devils with 7-run win
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
LEESBURG — The cold weather on what was a 42-degree baseball game saw the Fairfield Lions freeze up the visiting North Adams Green Devils for an 8-1 win Monday to begin a long week of games for the Lions.
Fairfield (5-0, 5-2) scored all of their runs in the first two innings of their Southern Hills Athletic Conference game, with one run in the bottom of the first and seven more in the second inning to complete their scoring. The game was also paced by the pitching of Sam Buddelmeyer, who went the distance with a complete game effort.
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Buddelmeyer was the winning pitcher for the Lions with a seven-inning complete game. The junior allowed one run (unearned) on four hits and no walks. Buddelmeyer struck out seven batters and didn’t allow a hit or base runner after the fifth inning.
“Sam does a good job every outing, and tonight he did a lot better job of throwing first-pitch strikes and getting ahead of hitters,” FHS head coach Jeremy McGraw said. “Our defense had his back, and I think Sam knows that when he pitches.
“It was impressive for Sam with how he pitched in the cold weather, and like I said, you know what you are going to get with Sam on the mound. It was nice he kept his pitch count down in the cold, and that was the main thing, while also getting him through the game and not having to use other pitchers helps for a long week of league games. He did a great job.”
In the first inning, the Lions led off with a single by Austin Setty, and from there he moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Cody Gragg and scored on an infield error by the Green Devils for a 1-0 advantage.
The second inning was even better for the Lions with seven runs crossing the plate, beginning with Wyatt Willey hitting a single, and he scored on a RBI single by Layne Morgan.
Next was Ethan Grooms hitting a single for the Lions, and Setty also reached the bases. Also for the Lions, Matthew Spears, Griffin Irvin had hits, while Willey, Morgan and Grooms each had a second hit in the inning.
Scoring runs in the second inning for the Lions were Setty, Gragg, Spears, Irvin, Willey, Morgan and Grooms as he finished 3-for-3 with one run scored.
Gragg, Spears, Willey and Morgan also led the Lions with two hits apiece. Gragg was 2-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt and one run scored. Spears finished 2-for-3 with a walk and one run. Willey was 2-for-3 with a run, and Morgan was 2-for-4 with one run and two RBI.
Finishing with one hit each for Fairfield were Setty (two runs), Nathan Vidourek, Irvin (one run) and Tanner Collins.
“The second inning was a big inning, and if you go back a couple games ago we struggled hitting, but this was a boost of confidence,” McGraw said. “The kids had great pitch selection and had solid contact. They are having a lot of fun right now, and that is easy to say when you are winning, but still, they are doing a great job.”
Next for Fairfield is a SHAC game on the road at West Union on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Fairfield (5-0, 5-2) scored all of their runs in the first two innings of their Southern Hills Athletic Conference game, with one run in the bottom of the first and seven more in the second inning to complete their scoring. The game was also paced by the pitching of Sam Buddelmeyer, who went the distance with a complete game effort.
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Buddelmeyer was the winning pitcher for the Lions with a seven-inning complete game. The junior allowed one run (unearned) on four hits and no walks. Buddelmeyer struck out seven batters and didn’t allow a hit or base runner after the fifth inning.
“Sam does a good job every outing, and tonight he did a lot better job of throwing first-pitch strikes and getting ahead of hitters,” FHS head coach Jeremy McGraw said. “Our defense had his back, and I think Sam knows that when he pitches.
“It was impressive for Sam with how he pitched in the cold weather, and like I said, you know what you are going to get with Sam on the mound. It was nice he kept his pitch count down in the cold, and that was the main thing, while also getting him through the game and not having to use other pitchers helps for a long week of league games. He did a great job.”
In the first inning, the Lions led off with a single by Austin Setty, and from there he moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Cody Gragg and scored on an infield error by the Green Devils for a 1-0 advantage.
The second inning was even better for the Lions with seven runs crossing the plate, beginning with Wyatt Willey hitting a single, and he scored on a RBI single by Layne Morgan.
Next was Ethan Grooms hitting a single for the Lions, and Setty also reached the bases. Also for the Lions, Matthew Spears, Griffin Irvin had hits, while Willey, Morgan and Grooms each had a second hit in the inning.
Scoring runs in the second inning for the Lions were Setty, Gragg, Spears, Irvin, Willey, Morgan and Grooms as he finished 3-for-3 with one run scored.
Gragg, Spears, Willey and Morgan also led the Lions with two hits apiece. Gragg was 2-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt and one run scored. Spears finished 2-for-3 with a walk and one run. Willey was 2-for-3 with a run, and Morgan was 2-for-4 with one run and two RBI.
Finishing with one hit each for Fairfield were Setty (two runs), Nathan Vidourek, Irvin (one run) and Tanner Collins.
“The second inning was a big inning, and if you go back a couple games ago we struggled hitting, but this was a boost of confidence,” McGraw said. “The kids had great pitch selection and had solid contact. They are having a lot of fun right now, and that is easy to say when you are winning, but still, they are doing a great job.”
Next for Fairfield is a SHAC game on the road at West Union on Tuesday at 5 p.m.