Photo by Jake McNeill: Milroy Irish catcher Derek Smith tags a Fairmont runner at the plate during a First Nite/Gopher League baseball game against the Fairmont Martins on Friday at the Irish Yard in Milroy.

MILROY — Nine innings weren’t enough to determine a winner in Friday’s First Nite/Gopher League matchup between the Milroy Irish and the Fairmont Martins. Tyler Maeyaert kept the Irish in the game with stellar pitching and some clutch hitting in the ninth, but the Martins walked away with a 5-3 win in 10 innings.

“I’m extremely proud of these guys for the fight that they have, never rolling over down to the last out,” Milroy manager Anthony Dolan said, adding that Fairmont is a very talented and deep team from Class B, so he’s happy with the way the team played as a whole.

A pair of walks to Joe Hackett and Luke Becker gave the Martins a strong start to the top of the 10th. Derek Smith fielded a bunt and whirled around to throw it to third for a force out and another ground out in the next at-bat put two away with runners on second and third. Yet, Luke Becker scored on a passed ball and Lance Becker doubled into center field to score Soelter for a 5-3 Martins lead.

Fairmont retired each of the first two batters in the bottom of the 10th before Tyler Patterson singled to bring the tying run to the plate. Yet, a strikeout ended the game with the Martins’ lead intact.

The Irish trailed by a run heading into the bottom of the ninth. Konnor Zick lined a ball right back at the pitcher and beat the throw to first to put the tying run on base. Matt Munson then took over as a pinch runner and advanced to third on a Lucas Dolan bunt and a Dominic Dolan ground out.

Maeyaert then came up to the plate with two outs and the tying run 90 feet from home. He fell behind in the count 0-2 before holding off a pair of balls. With the count even at 2-2, Maeyaert lined a double into left field to tie the game. Still, he was left stranded in scoring position on a strikeout.

“Tyler Maeyaert with that big hit down the line and then we have Derek Smith, our best hitter, up? That’s exactly the spot we want to be in,” Anthony Dolan said. “One hit there, one single there, we win this ballgame. That’s how close we are to winning this game.”

Maeyaert was electric on the mound for the Irish, throwing seven innings on an efficient 96 pitches. He struck out 11 batters during his time on the mound, giving up two earned runs on four hits and a walk before being relieved to start the eighth.

“That’s probably one of the best games he’s thrown all year,” Anthony Dolan said of Maeyaert. “That team, one through seven, is straight college batters, straight college athletes. They’re a very, very good team and he battled with them all day long.”

Nolyn Gorndt led off the eighth inning with a single and got to third base when Joseph Hackett reached on a throwing error to first by Connor Lasley and Luke Becker walked to load the bases.

Dominic Dolan fielded a grounder at short and got the force out at the plate to keep the game tied, but Soelter’s fly out to right field was just deep enough to score a run; Tyler Patterson made the throw on a rope to home plate, but Hackett just beat the tag for a 3-2 Fairmont lead.

After a scoreless first two frames, Milroy surged ahead in the bottom of the third. Dominic Dolan singled with one out and got to third base when Derek Smith reached on an error with two outs. A wild pitch then allowed Dolan to sprint home for the go-ahead run.

Spencer Chirpich led off the top of the fourth with a single and scored the tying run on a Nate Soelter double into left field. Soelter then scored on a Lance Becker ground out, giving Fairmont a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Irish tied the game right back up. Dolan again led off the inning with a single and scored when Tyler Maeyaert reached base on a throwing error to first. Derek Smith followed up with a fly ball to deep center field, but Soelter made an athletic catch for the out. Soelter then made the throw to second for a double play after Maeyaert went home, unaware that the catch was made.

Josh Smith threw the game’s first five innings for Fairmont before exiting with a no-decision. He allowed one earned and one unearned run on six hits and two walks with a trio of strikeouts.

Fairmont improves to 6-1 on the season with the win and hosts Lakefield for its next game on July 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Milroy falls to 8-6 on the year and next goes on the road to take on the Hadley Buttermakers on Sunday at 2 p.m.

“Hadley’s a very tough place to play. They’ve always got a big crowd and they’re always on you, so it’s a fun environment,” Anthony Dolan said. “We’ve got to be ready to play, that’s a big game for us.”

Batting

Lu. Becker: 0-2, 3 BB; S. Chirpich: 1-4; N. Soelter: 1-5 (2B), 2 RBI, SB; La. Becker: 1-5 (2B), 2 RBI; B. Borkenhagen: 1-3, BB; V. Schultz: 1-3; N. Goerndt: 1-4; J. Hackett: 0-2, BB.

Pitching

J. Smith: 5 IP, 6 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 SO; S. Chirpich: 5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 6 SO.

BOX SCORE

Batting

D. Dolan: 2-5; T. Maeyaert: 1-4 (2B), RBI; D. Smith: 0-4, BB; T. Peterson: 2-5; A. Wallen: 1-4, BB; A. DOlan: 0-3, BB; K. Zick: 1-4.

Pitching

T. Maeyaert: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 11 SO; C. Lasley: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, SO; D. Smith: IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB.