Despite mounting a three-run sixth inning rally Wednesday, the Fayette Junior Babe Ruth team was unable to overcome BTC Bank, losing by a final score of 8-3.

Pitching for the first time from the 60-foot, 6-inch distance, Payton Oeth took the mound for Fayette, giving up seven hits while striking out seven in the loss. Oeth walked three and hit a batter. He also had two errors committed behind him.

Offensively for Fayette, the going was rough as BTC pitchers struck out 16 batters. Thomas Elliott and Hudson Conrow were the only batters in the Fayette lineup to escape without a strikeout.

Fayette’s rally in the sixth began when leadoff batter Jayden Shiflett drew a walk on four straight pitches, then stole second as Kaleb Friebe was drawing the second walk from the Boonville pitcher. That brought Oeth to the plate. During that at-bat, Shiflett and Friebe both moved up a base on a wild pitch putting them at second and third. Oeth then singled to right, driving in Shiflett and moving Friebe to third.

Friebe later scored on a groundout by Mason Sappington which advanced Oeth to third. Oeth then scored on a wild pitch to Elliott who was issued his third walk of the night.

That was as far as the Fayette boys could get as they were shut down the rest of the inning and the game.

Oeth led the team offensively, going 2-3 with an RBI, while Elliott drew three walks. Conrow, Shiflett, and Friebe each drew a walk apiece. Oeth had two stolen bases and Shiflett had one.

On Tuesday, Fayette suffered another loss, this time at the hands of Imhoff’s, 16-3.

Jayden Shiflett suffered the loss on the mound as the Fayette boys were only able to muster two hits on the night against Imhoff pitching. Shiflett went 2.2 innings striking out five, walking four, and hitting four. While only giving up three hits, Shiflett, along with his relief pitcher, Wyatt Ragain, suffered from defensive letdowns as eight errors were committed behind them.

Offensively for Fayette, Mason Sappington registered a double and drove in two runs. Austin Kunze recorded another hit for Fayette and scored a run. The two additional runs were scored by Thomas Elliott and Kaleb Friebe.

Monday, in the first of the three games Fayette played on successive nights last week, Fayette dropped its second league game of the season to Pilot Grove, 24-1.

Kaleb Friebe started on the mount for Fayette, but could not get out of the first inning. He recorded one out before giving way to Mason Sappington. As in the following games, errors aided Pilot Grove in their win as Fayette committed five errors on the night.

Izak Van Neikerk scored the lone run by Fayette in the bottom of the third and final inning. He reached on a one-out walk, then advanced to second on Shiflett’s second hit of the night. Friebe then walked to load the bases. A strikeout followed to make it two outs and brought Ethan Bean to the plate. With a 2-0 count, the Pilot Grove pitcher threw a wild pitch moving Shiflett and Friebe up and allowing Van Niekerk to score. Bean then walked to fill the bases again before a strikeout ended the game.

Fayette squared off against KWRT Tuesday evening in a game that was played after this paper went to press. They will face Imhoff’s tonight at 8 p.m. at Twillman Field in Boonville. The next regularly scheduled game for Fayette will be a doubleheader on Monday, June 21, at Glasgow starting at 6 p.m. Several of the players, however, will suit up on Sunday alongside Fayette varsity players to face-off against Harrisburg at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (See story below on this page).