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Washington Evening Journal
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Allen’s gem, Nodurft’s walk-off take Fairfield past Washington
Trojans sweep Demons in back-to-back one-run affairs
FAIRFIELD — There wasn’t much room to breathe at the Fairfield baseball diamond on Monday night.
Fairfield and Washington were neck-and-neck all night in a Southeast Conference doubleheader, but in the end it was the home team that stood tall. Fairfield won a pitcher’s dual 2-1 in Game 1, and Landon Nodurft’s walk-off double gave the Trojans a 5-4 Game 2 victory.
Game 1 saw Fairfield’s Tate Allen and Washington’s Isaac Vetter trade shut out innings all game long. The two were nearly unhittable through five frames of work, and the teams went into the sixth scoreless.
After Allen worked through the Washington half the sixth inning, the Fairfield offense finally came through. Aidan Kreuter singled to lead things off, and Dain Burkhart drove him in with a one-out RBI bunt single.
Allen came back out for the seventh and finished off his complete game. He gave up just two hits in a shut out performance, striking out eight Demons along the way.
“I just trust myself,” Allen said. “Toward the end, I was just feeling more loosed, more relaxed and I was able to add some miles per hour on my fastball.”
Burkhart led the Trojans with a 1-for-3, one RBI performance. Fairfield had just three hits all together against Vetter, who dealt six innings and gave up just one earned run. Vetter walked two batters and struck out one.
Game 2 saw the offenses open up a bit. Fairfield scored one run in the first inning, but Washington held a 3-1 lead after a two-inning top of the third. Fairfield put up two in the bottom of the third and one in the bottom of the fourth to go up 5-3, but the Demons tied things up on an error and an RBI single by Caleb Zieglowsky in the top of the fifth.
Fairfield had its chances to go back up in the fifth and sixth. Fairfield had the bases loaded with nobody out in the fifth, but Ethan Patterson turned a double play for the Demons to end the threat after a strikeout. The game went into extra innings, tied 4-4.
In the bottom of the eighth, Kreuter walked to start things off. Allen bunted him over, and Nodurft lined one to center fielder, which was ruled an error after it bounced out of an outstretched glove.
Nodurft went to second on the play and Kreuter scored the game-winning run.
“The excitement going through your body is something I'd never felt before,” said Nodruft. “It was nice.”
Tallon Bates was 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead Fairfield in Game 2. Nodurft, Burkhart, Caden Allison and Voss Richardson all knocked in a run.
Burkhart struck out six batters over seven innings of work. Kreueter earned the win with a shut out eighth frame.
Vetter was 2-for-4 to lead Washington. Zieglowsky went 1-for-4 with an RBI. James Strabala took a tough loss on the mound, giving up one earned run over three and one-thirds innings of work on the mound.
Fairfield is now 8-11 overall and 4-4 in the Southeast Conference. Washington is 3-11 overall and 3-5 in league play.
