Fayette’s Junior Babe Ruth league team faced a stretch of three games in four nights last week and took two-out-of-three to take its season record to 3-1.

On Monday night, the boys from Fayette faced off against Imhoff’s Appliance and walked away with an 11-6 triumph.

With Corbin Tucker drawing the start on the hill, Fayette fell behind early 2-0 after the first inning but quickly came back in the bottom half of the first when leadoff hitter Austin Kunze singled and stole second. Kaleb Friebe then walked. 

Kunze and Friebe made good on a double steal with Payton Oeth at the plate. Oeth then doubled to drive in both Kunze and Friebe. 

After a strikeout by Tucker, Thomas Elliott drew a passed ball, allowing Oeth to advance to third. Elliott then walked before stealing second, with Oeth remaining at third. Jacob Wood struck out, but not before Oeth scored on a wild pitch. That left Elliott at second with two outs and Ethan Bean batting. Bean slammed a liner to right advancing Elliott to third.

Nathan Bean then struck out to end the inning with Fayette leading 3-2.

Fayette came back in the bottom of the fourth with four more runs when Brody Tucker led off the inning with a walk, then advanced to second when Charles Alexander was hit by a pitch.

Kunze struck out looking, but Friebe drew another walk to bring Oeth to the plate with bases loaded. Oeth promptly doubled to drive in Tucker, Alexander, and Friebe to make the score 6-2. The next batter, Corbin Tucker, drew a walk with Oeth advancing to third on a wild pitch. After Elliott struck out, Wood advanced to the plate. With the count one and two on Wood, Oeth scored on a wild pitch while Tucker advanced to third. Wood then popped out to the pitcher to end the inning with Fayette on top 7-2.

In the top of the third, Imhoff’s was able to put two more runs on the board with three singles and a walk, but Fayette roared back with four runs of its own in the bottom of the frame when Hudson Conrow walked to lead off the inning.

Thad Quint followed with another walk before Athen Briggs and Alexander were called out on strikes. Caleb Craig then drew the third walk of the inning.

Kaleb Friebe then drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Conrow and keep the bases loaded.

That brought Oeth to the plate with five RBI already. Conventional wisdom says he should probably be intentionally walked, but there was no place to put him. Oeth proceeded to triple to center, driving in three runs making the score 11-4. The three RBI gave Oeth a total of eight RBI on the night.

Alexander came on in relief of Tucker in the top of the fourth and gave up two runs on one hit, a walk, and an error to make the score 11-6.

The game ended after the two-hour time limit had expired with Fayette out in front, 11-6.

On Wednesday night, Fayette met up against BTC Bank.

With Payton Oeth on the mound, Fayette found itself again trailing at the end of the first inning 2-0.

Fayette, however, hung four runs on the board in the top of the second to take a 4-2 lead when Thomas Elliott bunted and reached base on an error. Following a strikeout, Nathan Bean walked to put runners at first and second. Elliott and Bean advanced on an error by the pitcher before Caleb Craig walked to load the bases. 

Hudson Conrow drew another walk to force in Elliott but kept the bases full. Following a strikeout, Austin Kunze lined a ball to right, scoring Bean and Craig and advancing Conrow to third. Kunze then drew a throw to second with a stolen base allowing Conrow to score. Conrow then moved to third on a passed ball.

BTC then walked Oeth before Jacob Wood popped out to end the Fayette hall of the inning with the score 5-3 in favor of Fayette.

Neither team could get on the board in the third or fourth innings, but Fayette added an insurance run in the top of the fifth when Oeth was walked again to lead off the inning.

Jacob Wood then launched a ball to left-center for a double, driving Oeth home.

Elliott and Brody Tucker each drew a walk followed by two strikeouts to end the top of the inning with Fayette leading 5-3.

Oeth had reached his pitch limit, so manager Friebe made the call to the bullpen and brought in Ethan Bean.

BTC drew a walk. The next batter was struck out by Bean, but that was followed by a hit by pitch to put runners at first and second. Bean then walked the next batter to load the bases.

Friebe made another call to the pen, this time bringing in Charles Alexander. The first batter he faced drove a ball to left, scoring two runners. Alexander induced the next batter into retirement with an infield fly before giving up a double that scored a run. Following a walk, Alexander retired the side on a fielder’s choice. BTC had taken a 6-5 lead.

Fayette evened the score 6-6 in the top of the sixth when Ethan Bean led off and drew a walk. His effort was cut short, however, when he was caught stealing. Kunze then beat out a hard hit ball to short for an infield hit. That brought up Oeth who advance Kunze to second when he was hit by a pitch. Wood then singled to left, driving in Kunze and advancing Oeth to second. Oeth was put out at third on a fielder’s choice by Elliott, before Alexander popped out to short to end the inning with the score tied.

The score remained tied until the top of the eighth. when Fayette took control of the game with a three-run inning that started off with another walk to Oeth, his third of the night. Jacob Wood then launched another double to left to drive in Oeth for his third RBI of the night. Elliott was then awarded first base on a hit by pitch. That brought up Alexander. On the first pitch, Wood broke for third and covered the distance safely to give Alexander runners at first and third. On the next pitch, Elliott stole second. On the third pitch of the at bat, Wood scored on a passed ball with Elliott advancing to third. Alexander then grounded out to the third baseman, driving Elliott in at the same time. A groundout and a strikeout ended the top half of the inning with Fayette leading 9-6.

Needing only three outs to close the game, Fayette did not start out very well in the bottom of the eighth as Alexander issued four straight walks. That sequence was followed by a ball hit to right, just out of reach of the right fielder Craig, allowing another run to score, drawing BTC to within one run of Fayette. The next batter hit a ball to center that was run down by the center fielder Kunze for the out. The runners all stayed put.

The next batter hit a sharp ground ball to Wood at third. Wood alertly fired home to Oeth who stepped on the plate for the second out. The third out came on a ball hit to shortstop Ethan Bean who scooped it up and fired it to the sure handed Elliott for the third out and the win.