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Washington Evening Journal
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Trojan baseball stays in race
Fairfield sweeps Keokuk, gets help from MP
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
FAIRFIELD — All the marbles in the Southeast Conference will be on the line on Thursday night when the Fairfield baseball team welcomes Burlington for a winner-take-all for the league championship.
Monday night’s games worked out swell for the Trojans, who blasted Keokuk 11-1 and 13-1 in a Southeast Conference doubleheader, while also getting help out west in the race for the title.
In Game 1 against Keokuk, the Trojans had to work for the lead, trailing 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth, but a strong start by Voss Richardson gave the Trojan offense plenty of time to connect.
Fairfield scored eight runs in the fourth, two more in the fifth and one in the sixth to reach the 10-run mercy rule.
“I was just staying loose in the dugout when we had that big inning,” said Richardson. “We score about eight every game, so it helps me out as a pitcher to know I’ve got guys behind me that can do that.”
Dayson Workman finished Game 1 2-for-3 withthree RBIs. Dain Burkhart went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Aiden Westercamp was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI. Richardson was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Archer Kreuter knocked in one as well.
Richardson gave up just one earned run over five innings on the mound. He struck out six Keokuk batters.
Keokuk also led 1-0 in Game 2, but it was a lot shorter lived. After allowing a run in the first, Fairfield scored three in its half of the first. Keokuk plated two in the bottom of the second to tie things up at 3-3, but it was all Fairfield from that point forward.
The Trojans put together five runs in the third, three in the fourth and two in the fifth to end another game early.
“We do a good job in our first at-bats of really trying to invest in the future at-bats,” said Fairfield head coach Josh Allison. “We kind of try to understand what the pitcher is trying to do to us, and I think that has actually payed some dividends.”
Zandrik Allison went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs in Game 2. Cason Miller was 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBIs. Richardson was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Kreuter knocked in two runs, and Luke Konczal had a double and an RBI.
Carson Elmore was the man on the mound for Fairfield in Game 2. He pitched a complete game, giving up just three runs (one earned) while striking out seven batters.
The Trojans fell 17-11 against Clear Creek-Amana on Tuesday night, bringing their overall record to 19-9. Fairfield is 12-2 in conference play, which thanks to a couple of upset wins by Fort Madison and Mt. Pleasant, is tied with Burlington for first place. The Trojans and Grayhounds will play at 7:30 p.m., on Thursday night, in the game that will decide who rules the SEC in 2025.
