Fairmont wins first-ever Class AA State Baseball Championship | News, Sports, Jobs

STATE GAME — Fairmont’s Zach Jorgensen (left) scores the first of the Class AA state baseball championship game in a fall while Roseau catcher Alex Wensloff watches the game unfold at Target Field in Minneapolis on Friday. (Photo by Greg Abel)

MINNEAPOLIS—National Champion.

Zach Jorgensen scored a two-hit complete game shutout while also booking Fairmont’s crucial offensive breakout in the seven-run sixth inning to lead the Cardinals to a 7-0 triumph over the Roseau Rams in Friday’s Class AA baseball championship game at Target Field respectively .

“It feels great” said Fairmont head coach Don Waletich, whose No. 1 seeded lineup produced the school’s first-ever state baseball crown in four trips to the Finals. “This (state trophy) is for the 2020 team that (due to the pandemic) never got a chance to play games. It’s also for the 2014 team that was one shot away from a state title.

“Really, it represents all the hard work that all of our coaches, players, fans and community members have put into this program to make it what it is today – a state champion.”

The Cardinals, under the guidance of legendary mentor Herb Wolf, earned second place in baseball in 1975, again with Brad Huse at the helm in 1993, and then in 2014 during Todd Sukalski’s incredible tenure that also included state appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

With the hard-throwing 6-foot-4 Jorgensen and Roseau’s senior right-hander Brady DeMars engaged in a scoreless pitcher duel for five and a half innings, Fairmont finally erased the goose egg on the scoreboard at the bottom of the sixth inning in Minneapolis.

Jorgensen pulled a leadoff walk before sprinting the remaining 270 feet to the plate when Nate Soelter’s victim bunch was thrown across the right field line for a 1-0 lead.

“First I looked back as I rounded second base and saw the throw sail over the head of first baseman and out into the outfield.” said Jorgensen, who is a favorite walk-on for the Minnesota Gophers football team this coming fall. “I saw Donnie (Waletich) wave at me all the way to third place and whiz home to score the first heat of the game.”

DeMars gave Jack Kosbab a walk before Gavin Rodning singled Soelter home to double the Cardinals’ lead. The cardinals played “little ball” again, and the Rams threw the baseball again when Cooper Steuber’s Bunt produced two runs and landed it on second base.

DeMars hit a strikeout and an infield popout, but gave up his fifth and final walk to effect his exit from the mound, leaving Roseau 4-0 behind.

Rams replacement Gavin Jensen had no better luck as Cardinals leadoff batter Eli Anderson unleashed a superb two-run triple to deep left center to widen the gap to 6-0. Anderson extended his state tournament record for triples to five during a three-game span.

Jorgensen then capped the seven-run blast by drilling an RBI single back through the box to overdraw Joseph Hackett – Anderson’s courtesy runner.

Although Soelter went to the Target Field bullpen during the Cardinals’ sixth inning with 12 batters to loosen his pitching arm, Waletich sent Jorgensen back to the mound in the seventh.

“I told Jorgy in training that I wanted him to start – and finish – the state championship game.” said Waletich. “He was down to 103 pitches after six (innings), so we warmed up Nate just in case the (Roseau) at-bat got extended.

“Jorgy, as he has done all season, stepped up and wrapped up our biggest game of the year.”

Ironically, Jorgensen hit the pitch limit – 115 – right on his seventh strikeout of the state finals to record the finals. He previously had back-to-back groundouts for his third 1-2-3 inning of the day.

Landen Meyerdirk and Levi Pooley each contributed singles to the Cardinals’ five-hit performance.

Isaac Wensloff, who is involved in baseball at the University of Minnesota at Crookston, and Gavin Gunderson scored Roseau’s only hits in the game.

DeMars allowed six carries — all unearned — on just three hits, knocking out three, walking five and hitting a hitter in 5 2/3 innings to level the loss for the Rams.

All Class AA Honors. Eli Anderson, Zach Jorgensen, Jack Kosbab and Jacob Crissinger represented Fairmont along with Isaac Wensloff, Aaron Wensloff, Cooper Flaig and Gavin Gunderson of Roseau on the 2022 Minnesota State High School League Class AA All-State Baseball Tournament Team.

Last title? The Fairmont girls’ cross country team won the school’s last state championship in 2016.

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Brady DeMars (LP), Gavin Jensen (6) and Alex Wensloff. Zach Jorgensen (WP) and Eli Anderson.

LOB – Fairmont 6; Roseau 6. 3B–Eli Anderson (FMT). SAC – Nate Soelter (FMT) and Cooper Steuber (FMT).