The Fairfield Mules will head out on the road to face off against the Salem Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Fairfield is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 8.4 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, Fairfield didn't have quite enough to beat Edwards County and fell 3-1. Fairfield has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Talon Hixenbaugh spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on three hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, Fairfield saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dylan Fleener, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles.
Even though they lost, Fairfield was hitting in the alleys and finished the game with three doubles. That's the most doubles they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Salem got themselves on the board against East Alton-Wood River on Tuesday, but East Alton-Wood River never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Oilers with a sharp 12-0 win. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Salem has managed all season.
Gavin Zimmermann was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Zimmermann has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances. Zimmermann was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Salem got a massive performance out of Jalen Inlow, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Cooper Lobek, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4.
Fairfield's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 6-6. As for Salem, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season.
Fairfield suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Salem in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Thankfully for Fairfield, Drew Davis (who struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk)) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
