Fayette scored eight runs in the top of the seventh to pull off a 9-5 come-from-behind victory at Higbee on Friday to open the 2025 baseball season.

Tigers’ ace Robert Smith allowed four earned runs in six-plus innings with a game-high 11 strikeouts. He cruised through six innings, allowing one run. But as the pitch count soared into triple digits in the top of the seventh, the Fayette bats started ringing out hits, tying the game at four runs apiece. The right-handed senior left the game after throwing 107 pitches. 

The Falcons took advantage of the pitching change to combine for five more runs on four hits and take a 9-4 lead midway through the seventh.

Higbee added another run in the bottom of the inning, but couldn’t make any further inroads as the blustery weather turned from sour to downright foul when the third out was called.

“Their starting pitcher was really good,” said Fayette coach Andy Oeth. “We did do a good job of seeing a lot of pitches. We made him throw a lot of pitches per batter. That got him out of the game because they had to pull them out for pitch count. Once they got the next guy in, we adjusted quickly and started hitting the ball. We had a lot of clutch hits.”

Until that final inning, Fayette had produced just one run, leaving nearly a dozen runners on base through six frames. Oeth said Smith’s breaking ball kept his hitters struggling to adjust. “It looks like it’s coming way out of the zone, and then it drops right in. They were watching that go by a lot. He’s a good pitcher.”

Friday’s win was the first opening night game the Falcons have won in the three seasons with Oeth as the head coach. A year ago, Higbee took the opener 3-0.

“It feels good,” he said. “I think it speaks to where we are as a program. We’re not just going into games hoping to get lucky. We’re going into games this season expecting to win them. The expectation we have for ourselves is that we can play with anybody. We expected to win this game. We wanted to win this game. And we did everything we could to do it. They did a great job of just grinding at the end.”

For Higbee coach Ryan Vogelgesang, losing the opener after holding a three-run lead was disappointing for a team that finished last season with a district championship. “This wasn’t necessarily the result we wanted, especially considering that I felt like we pretty much had command of the game for the first six innings,” he said.

Despite the loss, Vogelgesang said there are plenty of positives to take away from the game, and he was complimentary of his starting pitcher. 

“Robert Smith looked great on the mound. He commanded the strike zone well, and once he found his breaking ball later in the game, he was really able to keep hitters off balance,” he said. “I think Robert really proved that he has what it takes to be a top-of-the-rotation type pitcher for us.”

The first half of Friday’s game was a bit of a pitching duel, with only one run scored in the first four innings. Fayette’s answer to Smth was ace Payton Oeth. The junior right-hander allowed just one hit and surrendered one walk with eight strikeouts in four scoreless innings.

Coach Oeth said that his starter was reluctant to throw with power all night because of the cold and windy conditions. “He wanted to locate his pitches, and he really did. Payton did really well. He had really good stuff.”

Fayette’s game plan was also to keep all pitchers under 60 throws for the night, with another game against rival New Franklin on Monday. Junior Ethan Bean took the mound in relief to start the fifth and allowed four runs (3 earned) on two hits and four walks while retiring five batters on strikes in 1.2 innings.

Coach Oeth said Bean wasn’t happy with his performance. He was called for a balk against his second batter in what was summed up as early-game jitters that interfered with an otherwise competent night on the mound.

“There was a balk there that rattled him a little bit, but he still struck out five guys and did really well. We know what he can do, and he’s a great pitcher. We know what he’s capable of, and he’s going to keep that role as our number two pitcher.”

Sophomore Ledgyr Conrow closed out the final one-and-a-third innings of the game, striking out two batters with two walks while allowing an unearned run.

In a stingy opening half of the game, the first run came when Bean drove in Oeth from second base on a fly ball to center to put Fayette on the board.

Higbee answered in the bottom of the fifth when Smith scored on a line-drive single to right by Chase Price to tie the game. 

The Tigers shot ahead in the bottom of the sixth with three runs, all with two outs on the board. Blake Boggs reached on a lead-off walk, then advanced to second on the balk. After two strikeouts in a row, two more walks loaded the bases. A single to center by Quintin Deschu brought in Boggs and Luke Tuggle. A Fayette error on a ground ball by Aiden Freidin in the next at-bat allowed Smith to score his second run of the game and give Higbee a 4-1 advantage.

The Falcons finally strung together a few hits in the seventh. Sophomore Thad Quint led off with a single and scored on a single from Oeth.

Senior Thomas Elliott was hit for the third time of the game, and Bean walked to load the bases. The Falcons then scored four runs on hits by sophomore Parker LaValley and freshman Morgan Campbell that bookended an error on a fly ball by junior Caleb Craig to take a 6-4 lead. Campbell’s two-RBI hit to center scored the go-ahead run.

With two outs, a single by Quint in his second plate appearance of the inning drove in Craig and Campbell to make it a four-run game. Oeth then singled and later scored after Elliott was plunked for the fourth time.

“It’s our understanding that he is currently tied for the state season record for hit-by-pitches in one game,” Coach Oeth said. “But he’s a guy who’s willing to do that with a smile on his face. He took some tough ones.”

Quint scored the final run for Fayette on a passed ball before Higbee could force an end to the top of the seventh.

Down five runs with half an inning left to play, the Tigers led off the bottom of the frame with a single by Tyler Diederich. Two outs later, he would score the final run of the game when Smith earned a five-pitch walk with the bases loaded.

A final strikeout of Deschu by Conrow ended the game just as the rain began to pelt the dirt.

“The weather wasn’t fun, but the ball game itself, at least the last half of the game, was a lot of fun,” said Coach Oeth.

The Falcons’ offense produced 11 hits that drove in eight of their nine runs. Oeth led Fayette with an outstanding 5-for-5 performance, including a double and a triple, with two runs scored and one RBI.

“He had a really great night, and it was against a really good pitcher. He was the engine. And the guys rally around that,” said Coach Oeth.

Quint had the team’s only other multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with two RBI. Bean, LaValley, Craig, and Campbell each had one hit. Campbell drove in two runs, with one RBI each from Craig, LaValley, and Bean.

“Thad could’ve mailed it in after his two strikeouts, but instead, he was the spark that got our offense going,” Coach Oeth said. “They were very clutch in the top of the seventh, and I couldn’t be happier with how they came together.”

Higbee drove in four of its five runs on four hits. Diederich, hitting in the No. 9 spot, had the Tigers’ only multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Deschu and Price each singled. 

Higbee struck out 15 times with seven walks.

“I was very happy with the production we got from the bottom of the order, which is something we’ll take every game,” Vogelgesang said. “Those guys really ground out good at-bats and made Fayette’s pitchers work.

“Ultimately, we have to find a way to close out ball games and get a little bit more production from the top of our lineup. Once we get those things figured out, I think this team can really be dangerous.”

Higbee is scheduled to hit the road Monday against Linn County with Meadville and Tuesday at Macon County with Bucklin. The Tigers return home Thursday to host Madison at 5 p.m.

Fayette kicks off its home campaign against county rival New Franklin at 5 p.m. Monday on Central Methodist University’s Estes Field. The Falcons finish off the week at Class 4 Moberly on Thursday.