
Spencer Chirpich pitched a complete game shutout as he led Fairmont into the quarterfinals of the state Class C amateur baseball tournament with a 7-0 win over Sartell Saturday at the Mini Met in Jordan.
Chirpich, who played college baseball at Abilene Christian, scattered eight hits and one walk while striking out.
For six innings, Chirpich and David Deminsky of the Muskies were locked in a pitcher’s duel. The Martins scored the first run of the game in the top of the fifth when Luke Becker singled down the third base line to score Ethan Hurn, who led off the inning with a walk. A bunt single gave the Martins two runners on and one away before Becker collected his single.
After a scoreless sixth, Deminsky started to labor in the seventh inning. He surrendered a second run on a bases loaded hit by pitch.
Sartell turned to reliever Adam Wenker, but Lincoln Becker drilled a double to the gap in right center field to clear the bases and put Fairmont up 5-0. Tyler Tennyson added a bloop single to score Lincoln Becker to make it 6-0.
The Martins added a run in the eighth inning as Luke Becker tripled to start the inning and Derek Shoen delivered his third hit of the game to score Becker to make it 7-0. Shoen, who played at Iowa Western and the University of Mary, was 3-for-4 and scored a run.
Luke Becker played in college at Kentucky and was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the ninth round of the 2018 draft. He played Class A ball in the Padres organization for two years with the Tri-City Dust Devils and Fort Wayne TinCaps.
He then played three years of independent baseball, starting with one year in the Frontier League with the Schaumburg Boomers. Luke was then in the Atlantic League for two years, one with the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes and one with the Spire City Ghost Hounds.
He was able to play with the Martins in 2020 and earned Most Valuable Player honors at the state tournament when Fairmont won the state title in Springfield.
Becker and his brother operate a baseball and softball training facility with his brother and teammates in a remodeled hayloft on the family farm near Northrop.
“I was just ready to settle down a little bit,” Becker told Nick Gerhardt of the Minnesota Baseball Association. “I had a lot of fun. It was a heck of a journey. This is also fun. I’m having a lot of fun playing right now. I’m not missing it too much.
“I’ve been around a lot of really good players so I try to teach the young kids what I’ve learned,” he said.
Fairmont advances to play Young America at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in Jordan. The winner stays on the field to play again at 4 p.m. vs. the winner of the 11 a.m. game between tournament host Jordan and Buckman.
The other side of the Class C bracket will be played at the Irish Yard in Green Isle with Bird Island meeting Waconia at 11 a.m. and Courtland facing Buffalo at 1:30 p.m. Those winners will also square off at 4 p.m.
The Class B tournament concludes Sunday at Tiger Park in Belle Plaine.
In the semifinals. Champlin Park faces Miesville at noon and Air Freight Unlimited takes on Lyon’s Pub at 3 p.m. The championship game is slated for 6 p.m.
Scores and schedules for the state amateur baseball tournament:
Class C
First round
Cold Spring Rockies 4, Perham 0
Loretto 2, Atwater 1 (10 innings)
St. Boni 9, Wanamingo 4
Buckman 8, Webster 1
Raymond 10, Springfield 1
Union Hill 9, St. Peter 3
Farming 4, Maple Lake 1
Nisswa 4, Princeton 0
Waterville 8, Morris 1
Courtland 10, Richmond 5
St. Joseph 2, Jackson 0
Carver 4, Pierz 1
Le Sueur 10, Madison 4
Kimball 10, Luverne 0
Bemidji 4, Litchfield 2
Waconia 10, Hanska 0 (7 innings)
Second round
Friday, Aug. 23
Jordan 5, Cold Spring Rockies 0
Buffalo 3, St. Joseph 0
Young America 4, Raymond 2
Saturday, Aug. 24
Kimball 4, Foley 3 (10 innings)
Sauk Centre 4, Loretto 1
Watkins 7, Carver 4
Fairmont 14, Farming 4 (8 innings)
Red Wing 8, Waterville 1
New Ulm Brewers 12, St. Boni 1 (7 innings)
Sunday, Aug. 25
Sartell 3, Nisswa 1
Courtland 8, Isanti 1
Buckman 8, Fergus Falls 2
Bemidji 3, New York Mills 0
Waconia 6, Mongomery 1
Union Hill 13, Clinton 2 (7 innings)
Bird Island 10, LeSueur 0 (7 innings)
Third round
Friday, Aug. 30
Jordan 9, Sauk Centre 2
Young America 8, Union Hill 3
Bird Island 8, Kimball 1
Saturday, Aug. 31
Waconia 4, Bemidji 1
Buckman 6, New Ulm 4
Fairmont 7, Sartell 0
Courtland 4, Red Wing 0
Buffalo 4, Watkins 1
Sunday, Sept. 1
Quarterfinals
Upper bracket
At Jordan
Jordan vs. Buckman, 11 a.m.
Young America vs. Fairmont, 1:30 p.m.
Lower bracket
At Green Isle
Bird Island vs. Waconia, 11 a.m.
Courtland vs. Buffalo, 1:30 p.m.
Semifinals
At Jordan
Upper bracket winners, 4 p.m.
At Green Isle
Lower bracket winners, 4 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 2
Championship
At Jordan
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
Class B
First round
Champlin Park 12, St. Paul Hops 2 (8 innings)
Minneapolis Cobras 4, Elko 3 (10 innings)
St. Louis Park 15, Dundas 5 (8 innings)
St. Anthony 11, Chaska 6
Hopkins 5, Sobieski 1
Victoria 8, North St. Paul 2
St. Paul Mudhens 5, St. Michael 0
Miesville 10, Minneapolis Mudcats 0 (7 innings)
Rochester 11, Minneapolis Angels 1
Air Freight Unlimited 6, Centennial 2
Minnetonka 7, Cold Spring Springers 3
Eagan 5, Stockmen’s Irish 4
Highland Park 7, Andover 2
Lyon’s Pub 6, New Market 5
Moorhead 2, Baseball 365 1
Burnsville 7, Stillwater 4
Saturday, Aug. 24
Second round
Champlin Park 6, Minneapolis Cobras 4
St. Louis Park 8, St. Anthony 5
Hopkins 9, Victoria 0
Miesville 8, St. Paul Mudhens 6
Air Freight Unlimited 4, Rochester 0
Minnetonka 8, Eagan 1
Sunday, Aug. 25
Second round
Lyon’s Pub 3, Highland Park 2
Burnsville 4, Moorhead 2
Saturday, Aug. 31
Quarterfinals
Champlin Park 9, St. Louis Park 7
Miesville 9, Hopkins 4
Air Freight Unlimited 2, Minnetonka 0
Lyon’s Pub 4, Burnsville 2
Sunday, Sept. 1
At Belle Plaine
Semifinals
Champlin Park vs. Miesville, noon
Air Freight Unlimited vs. Lyon’s Pub, 3 p.m.
Championship
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.