WINNSBORO — The Fairfield Central baseball team capped off a gritty comeback with a 9-5 win over Eau Claire on Tuesday night.
After falling behind 5-0 in the first inning, the Griffins did not fold. Instead, they put up a five-run second inning to tie the game, fueled by walks from Mason Jackson-Nellums, Bentley Trapp and Taiden Johnson, and capped by crucial double from Caden Brown.
Fairfield took the lead for good in the third when Harrison and Johnson drove in runs to make it 7-5.
Landon Morgan secured the win on the mound. After the shaky first inning, Morgan locked in to pitch seven innings, surrendering only one unearned run on five hits while striking out seven.
The Griffins were aggressive on the basepaths, collecting 10 stolen bases. Brown led the offense with two hits.
The comeback win followed a narrow 6-4 loss to American Leadership Academy (ALA) on March 17. Despite the loss, Fairfield Central out-hit ALA 6-4. Mason Perry and led the Griffins, going 2-4 on the day. Harrison turned in a solid start, striking out five four innings of work.
The Griffins also faced a challenging two-game series against a potent 5A Ridge View lineup in early March. In the first matchup on March 3, a 12-1 loss, the Griffins played error-free baseball. Brown, Logan Watkins and Jones each collected hits in the effort.
In the rematch on March 5, the Griffins fell 7-0. Brown pitched four innings, and while he was tagged for seven runs, only one of them was earned as the Griffins battled through a tough defensive stretch.
With the momentum of the Eau Claire comeback behind them, the Griffins will look to keep the bats hot for a stretch of region contests, beginning Tuesday at home against Chester. Chester on Tuesday, March 24. They’ll hit the road on Wednesday, March 25 for a 6 p.m. game at Newberry and follow with a Friday rematch at Chester.
FAIRFIELD – 0-5-2-2-0-0-0 – 9, 5, 6
EAU CLAIRE – 5-0-0-0-0-0-0 – 5, 6, 4
WP: L Morgan. 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
FC: C Brown 2-4, RBI, 2B. L Watkins 1-3, 2 RBI, 2B. M Harrison 1-2, RBI 2 BB. T Johnson 1-3, RBI, BB.
