Fairfield’s Lions baseball team traveled to Lynchburg-Clay High School on Tuesday for a matchup pitting the cross-county and Southern Hills Athletic Conference rivals the Mustangs. The Lions emerged from the tumult with a hard fought 4-2 victory to move to 2-0 on the season.

Sam Buddelmeyer recorded the win for the Lions as he pitched five inning, struck out three batters, walked three more, allowed four hits and surrendered one earned run. Austin Setty recorded the save for Fairfield pitching one inning, giving up one run, allowing two hits and one walk to secure the 4 – 2 win over Lynchburg-Clay.

Lynchburg-Clay’s Mustangs struggled to find their offensive footing on their home field and were held scoreless and managed to only place four runners on base over the first four innings of the game.

Buddelmeyer, Cody Gragg and Griffin Irvin opened the second inning with back-to-back-to-back singles. Buddelmeyer was put out at second base but, Gragg scored on the single by Irvin to give the Lions their first run of the game and a lead they would not relinquish.

Matthew Spears and Buddelmeyer scored on a two RBI triple, with two outs, by Gragg in the third to extend the Fairfield lead to 3 – 0.

In the fourth inning Wyatt Willey scored the fourth and final run of the game for the Lions on the back of back-to-back sacrifices by Tanner Collins and Setty respectively.

The Mustangs scored a run apiece in the fifth and sixth innings and held the Lions scoreless over the final two innings but, the Lions were able to hang on for the narrow victory.

Fairfield head coach Jeremy McGraw praised his team after their second win of the season.

“This was a great team effort tonight. We played the last two innings in the rain and got a little sloppy, but our guys made plays when we needed them. Sam and Austin did a nice job on the mound for us. They had to battle the last two innings with a pretty steady rain and did a good job of throwing strikes and letting our defense field it,” said McGraw.

McGraw pointed to timely hitting as a major reason that his team was able to come out on top in the cross-county rivalry game.

“The difference tonight was coming up with some timely hitting. Cody Gragg was huge for us with a two out two RBI triple in the third. Tanner Collins had a big sacrifice bunt in the fourth to move Wyatt Willey who scored when Austin Setty with two strikes put the ball in play to the right side. We did the small things well tonight,” McGraw said.

The Lions will be back in action on Saturday, March 31, when they welcome the Paint Valley Bearcats for a home doubleheader.

Reach Ryan Applegate at 937-402-2572, or on Twitter @RCApplegate89.