Fayette remained unbeaten after a 13-1 win at rival Harrisburg Wednesday night. Not only was the victory against an area rival—the third straight for the Falcons—but counted as their first-ever as a member of the Central State 8 conference.

Fayette went 0-7 in the inaugural CS8 season a year ago.

“This one means a lot because it is our first CS8 win,” said Fayette coach Andy Oeth. “I'm excited.”

Monday’s win was also the first over Harrisburg since 2019. And it’s the third win in a row out against area rivals. The Falcons opened the season by defeating Higbee at home, then defeated New Franklin on a cold, blustery night on the road.

“Harrisburg is a rival. It's exciting to put a win like that on them,” said coach Oeth. “They are young, and they have some injuries. But anytime you can get a conference win, you should be proud. And we are.”

Harrisburg’s inexperience on the mound was evident as the Falcons put up eight runs in the second to take a commanding lead. The Bulldogs top two arms are injured, leaving a young pitching staff to do the heavy lifting.

“We're down in numbers, and we have a few injuries that are holding us up on the mound a little bit,” said Harrisburg coach Chris Ackman. “If they can't throw, you plug one hole and it creates another one. That's where we are right now, defensively and on the mound. We're playing a lot of kids who don't have experience. But we're going to be better in May than we are in March. This is the learning curve right now.”

The Falcons scored 13 runs on just five hits but were issued 12 walks as Harrisburg pitching struggled to find the strike zone. Junior Parker LaValley led the way with two hits in three at-bats after moving to fourth in the lineup. Power hitter Payton Oeth hit third with the anticipation of being put on base.

“We moved Parker LaValley to the cleanup spot to protect Payton,” Coach Oeth explained. “So far he's been intentionally walked every game. And Chris [Ackman] likes to intentionally walk him. So he wanted to protect him, and Parker has been hitting the cover off the ball. That paid off tonight.”

Oeth walked twice, but not intentionally. He went 1-for-1 with two runs scored and was one of three hit batsmen.

Freshmen Sawyer Asbury and Caleb Busker delivered extra-base hits, both doubles. Bigger drove in two runs and both scored a run.

“Everybody contributed. Some of them ground it out. Some of them had good hits,” Coach Oeth said about his offense.

On the mound, senior ace Ethan Bean earned his second win in three starts, striking out four and walking three without surrendering a hit or a walk.

“He did a good job. He struggled with some control in the beginning. But he found his groove, and it didn't hurt him,” said Coach Oeth. “Even when he had the bases loaded, he was able to work out of it. He did well.”

The senior right-hander was pulled after 54 pitches to keep him eligible for Fayette’s game against Sturgeon on Thursday.

“Sturgeon has had some quality wins. It's not a situation where we want to pitch off. We want to come right at them,” Oeth explained.

Sophomore Easton Fehling pitched the final two frames for Fayette, allowing one unearned run on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts. With only 39 pitches, he remains eligible to pitch in more games this week.

Harrisburg picked up four hits and a run late in the game. Senior Thomas Harrison drove in the Bulldogs’ only run with a 2-for-3 performance. With junior Jayson Eskew on second after reaching on an error in the bottom of the fifth, Harrison drove a 0-1 pitch through the infield to center, sending Eskew around third all the way home to escape the shutout.

All of Harrisburg’s hits came from the middle of the lineup. Harrison’s two hits came from the No. 5 spot. Freshman Kayden Crites and sophomore Will Cole each singled, batting sixth and seventh, respectively.

Despite the short-lived late-inning rally, Harrisburg’ troubles on the mound allowed the game to get away early. A committee of four Bulldog pitchers issued 12 walks in five innings and surrendered 13 runs, of which only eight were earned.

Freshman Brody Combs got the start. And despite some early control issues (eight walks), Ackman said his young right-hander is one of three who would have competed for the start had Monday’s game been in the playoffs.

“Brody Combs has some stuff and could eventually turn into our number one,” Ackman said.

But with some injuries in the pitching rotation to start the season, the Bulldogs’ ace is not a clear choice. “We had a projection to start the year. Landon Atkins and Evan Freeman are dealing with some arm injuries. So, it’s kind of up in the air,” Ackman said. “It could be senior Chase Gray, or freshman Brody Combs, or junior Jason Eskew. If we had a district game, those three would be competing right now for who would throw that night.”

Combs struck out two in 1.2 innings on Monday night. Senior Dakota Harmon finished off the second inning, allowing one earned run on a hit and two walks. Eskew struck out six batters in 2.2 innings but allowed three earned runs on three hits with a walk. Cole finished off the night for the Bulldogs, striking out one of just two batters faced to end the top of the fifth.

Despite the uncharacteristically rough start, the 0-3 Bulldogs will look for their first win on April 7 with a home conference game against South Callaway.

Fayette, meanwhile, is 3-0 for the first time since 2010 with two more games slated this week, although forecasted thunderstorms could alter that schedule. On Tuesday, the Falcons were scheduled to host CS8 opponent Linn (2-3). Payton Oeth was expected to start. On Thursday, Fayette faces Sturgeon in a non-conference home game at Estes Field.

Fayette plays three games in a row next week, starting with a home game against Cairo on Monday. The Falcons then travel to CS8 foe New Bloomfield on Tuesday before facing their final area rival, Glasgow, on the road Wednesday. All games start at 5 p.m.