For the first time this season, Fairfield will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will square off against the Churubusco Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Fairfield took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. Everything went their way against South Central as they made off with a 9-3 win. That looming 9-3 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Falcons yet this season.
Grady Garber
| 04/12/25 vs South Central | 3 |
| 04/04/25 vs South Bend Adams | 1 |
| 04/20/24 vs Concord | 1 |
| 04/12/24 vs NorthWood | 1 |
Grady Garber made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three). He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He also put up a triple, which was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Kyler Castetter was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Those runs marked the first that he scored this season. Eli Miller was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Churubusco not only won on Saturday, but they posted their biggest win since May 2, 2024. They were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over Northfield. The Eagles haven't had any issues with the Norsemen recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Like Fairfield, Churubusco also got a great game from a two-way player: Deryan Gordon. Throwing, Gordon struck out eight batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Cameron Patten tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season. At bat, Gordon scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Patten went 1-for-2 with three RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Dawson Gump, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Brody Lawrence, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
Churubusco always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Fairfield's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 3-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Churubusco, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
Everything went Fairfield's way against Churubusco when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Fairfield made off with an 11-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
