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CHILLICOTHE — Setting the tone early is a crucial part of the recipe for success.
For Fairfield, it only took the first two innings to set the tone and turn the tides of the game in its favor.
The Lions (18-4) met up with Ironton St. Joe in Saturday’s Division IV district semifinal at VA Memorial Stadium.
While the Flyers did battle late, a four-spot in the second inning was all Fairfield needed to punch its ticket to a third consecutive district final with a 4-0 victory.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“We knew [Ironton St. Joe] would be a formidable opponent once we knew we were playing them. We knew we had to get runs early and try to set the tone,” Fairfield head coach Kyle Zimmerman said. “We were able to do that, and when things didn’t go our way, having that cushion helped us.”
Fairfield’s Cade Miller was dialed in from the start on the mound, striking out five of the first six batters he faced. That set up the Lions to go to work offensively, and they did not disappoint.
In the bottom of the second inning, with runners on the corners and two outs, Fairfield’s Zane Matthews sent a screamer up the middle for an RBI single, giving the Lions a 1-0 advantage.
It didn’t stop there, though. In the next at-bat, Gabe Fouch launched a pitch into the right-center field gap for a triple, driving in two more for a 3-0 count. Fouch later came around to score himself on a wild pitch, finishing off the four-run second.
“Our lineup is really strong this year. We have the mindset that if you get out, it’s the next guy up,” Matthews said. “We just go in there, count on each other, and not let anything get to us.”
The Lions tried to add more in the third, putting two runners in scoring position. But Ironton St. Joe held up as Carson Lyons threw out a runner at home from third base. The catcher, Drew Brown, then threw out the runner behind him at third, turning a 5-2-6 double play and ending the inning.
In the top of the fourth, the Flyers (15-6) tried to use the momentum to their advantage as three straight batters reached with two outs. Lyons stood at the plate looking to put his team on the board, but Cade Miller sat him down looking, leaving the ducks on the pond.
That took the wind out of the Flyers’ sails, but only momentarily.
In the next inning, they put runners on second and third when Brady Medinger walked and Evan Balestra doubled. That later brought up Darryn Harvey, who singled to drive in a run and put the Flyers on the board. An RBI fielder’s choice from Lyons later cut the deficit to 4-2.
After the Flyers worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth, they looked to finally even things up in the seventh.
But Miller put the comeback to a halt.
The senior was able to get his team three straight ground ball outs, shutting the door and giving the Lions a trip to the district final for a third year in a row.
“I trust my defense a lot. Even if I miss over the plate and they hit it, I know I’ve got a good defense behind me,” Miller said. “It really feels good when they can make plays like that.”
Miller went the distance on the bump, giving up two earned runs on just three hits while striking out 10 batters. Matthews finished 2-for-4 on the day with a double and an RBI, and Gabe Fouch finished 1-for-3 with a two-run triple.
“Cade’s performance today is indicative of what we’ve seen out of our veteran pitching staff all year long,” coach Zimmerman said. “He showed a lot of maturity and grit on the mound. If something goes wrong, he doesn’t let it get in his head. He’s putting himself in a position to give us our best chance to win.”
Darryn Harvey and Evan Balestra each went 1-for-3 for the Flyers, with Harvey driving in a run. Lyons logged an RBI as well.
The Lions will return to VA Memorial Stadium on Monday, where they will face either Racine Southern, a winner over Green, in a district final at 4 p.m.
Fairfield has made it to this stage in each of the last two years, but has come up short on both occurrences. The Lions are still in search of their first district crown since 2002.
“I just think we’re really hungry this year. Two years in a row, we’ve lost in the district finals. This year, I feel like we finally have a shot,” Miller said. “With the grit and determination this team has this year, I feel like we can do it.”
“I’m honored to coach a group of kids that have been able to get me here three years in a row. There’s a lot of teams that would kill to be in the position we’re in, even if we haven’t been successful,” coach Zimmerman added. “We’re more mature this year. We’ve been coming here ever since Cade, Gabe, and a lot of our guys were sophomores. They’ve battled every year, and that’s what we plan to do Monday night.”
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