CARROLL – When it gets down to it, baseball is a simple game. That’s the way Fairfield Union coach Scott Burke approaches it with his team.
Have pitchers attack the strike zone, avoid free passes, and play solid defense. That has proved to be a winning formula for the Falcons.
After dropping their first two games of the season, Fairfield Union has executed those two traits to perfection, and it was on full display on Wednesday, April 8, against rival Bloom-Carroll.
The Falcons received an outstanding start from junior pitcher Eli Wolfe, the defense made plays behind him the entire game, and it proved to be enough in a hard-fought 4-2 Mid-State League-Buckeye Division win over the Bulldogs.
It was Fairfield Union’s sixth consecutive win as the Falcons improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the MSL.
“We have an experienced group; we expect them to go out and execute, and that’s what they’ve done in the last six games,” Burke said. “We said going into the season, the key would be pitching and defense. Our pitchers have thrown strikes, the defense has made plays, and our hitting is starting to come around. Eli was able to make pitches when he needed to against a disciplined team, and the defense made plays behind him.”
Wolfe was outstanding as he took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He surrendered three hits and two runs. He only had one strikeout, but his defense made plays all over the field to support him.
“I love my defense so much, and they make plays for me every game,” Wolfe said. “I trust them so much, and it enables me to throw whatever I want whenever I want because they are going to make plays. Everything was working across the board for me today. My four-seam fastball away was working well, my curveball was working, and my sinker was moving a lot.
“It has been a grind, and we have won a lot of different ways, but we have done all the little things right during this stretch, and we just keep building and building and stacking good days together.”
The Falcons were able to plate three runs in the top of the first inning by taking advantage of two walks, an RBI single from Brady Andrews, and an RBI from Alex Burke. It easily could have been more, but Bloom-Carroll leftfielder Dom Eshbaugh made a diving catch with the bases loaded.
Once Wolfe had a three-run cushion, he went to work. The Bulldogs hit the ball hard, but Fairfield Union’s defense made play after play. Bloom-Carroll didn’t help itself by having three base-running errors that cost it a couple of runs.
“(Fairfield Union) played better defense and ran the bases better than we did, and at the end of the day, that was the difference,” Bloom-Carroll coach Jason Vest said. “Base running mistakes cost us two runs, which was the game.”
The Falcons added an insurance run to take a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning. Back-to-back singles by Ashton Waldrop and Garrett Dilcher put runners at first and second, and Burke laid down a perfect bunt on a squeeze play to allow Waldrop to scamper home.
Bloom-Carroll cut the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth inning. Keegan Little led off with a double, but after a grounder was hit to the shortstop, Little was erased attempting to go to third. Evan Cardenas then singled, and Hogan Deibel was hit by a pitch. Maddox Byler came with a huge hit to plate a pair of runs.
Cameron Silcott pitched in relief in the seventh for the Falcons. The Bulldogs had two runners on thanks to a single from Eshbaugh and Johnny Kaut being hit by a pitch, but Rowles ended the threat by recording an infield popout and a groundout.
The Falcons finished with seven hits, led by Cody Andrews’ two singles. Bloom-Carroll had four hits.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Fairfield Union tops rival Bloom-Carroll, wins sixth consecutive game
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
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