Luverne senior catcher Joey Pick attempts to gun down a Fairmont runner attempting to steal second base during Friday’s baseball game in Luverne. Fairmont beat the Cardinals 9-1, but LHS bounced back to sweep a doubleheader in Windom Tuesday.By John RittenhouseThe Luverne baseball team wrapped up an 11-9 regular season by winning two of three games in a five-day span.The Cardinals lost an eight-run home decision to Fairmont Friday before sweeping a Southwest Conference doubleheader in Windom Tuesday.Luverne opens the Section 3AA Tournament by hosting Red Rock Central-Westbrook-Walnut Grove at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.Luverne 9, Windom 4The Cardinals scored the game’s first four runs and coasted to a five-run victory in Game 1 of Tuesday’s twin bill in Windom.LHS pitcher Jared Pick protected the early lead by limiting Windom to two runs and five hits through six innings of play. Pick notched five strikeouts. Adam Kurtz relieved Pick in the seventh, allowing four hits and two runs while recording three strikeouts.Luverne scored two runs in the first inning, three in the second and one in the third to gain a 6-0 cushion.Kurtz doubled home a run and Aaron Schmidt singled home another in the first for a 2-0 advantage.Jake Studer singled home a run, Nick Uilk received an RBI for a ground out and Joey Pick was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it a 5-0 game in the second.Adam Reisch slapped a run-scoring double in the third to make the difference 6-0.Windom plated single runs in the third and fourth innings to make it a 6-2 game before the Cards iced the contest with two runs in the sixth inning and one in the seventh.Studer walked with the bases loaded and Kurtz produced a sacrifice fly to account for the sixth inning runs. Devan Goembel walked and scored on a passed ball in the seventh.Box score AB R H BIJo.Pick 3 1 1 1Boelman 1 0 0 0Uilk 2 1 1 1Deutsch 1 0 0 0Studer 3 0 1 2Kurtz 3 1 1 2Schmidt 4 0 1 1Remme 4 1 1 0Reisch 3 1 3 1Goembel 1 1 0 0Kuhlman 3 1 1 0Wysong 2 2 2 0Luverne 4, Windom 0The Cardinals completed SWC play with a 6-6 record after beating the Eagles by four runs in Tuesday’s second game.The game was called off after four innings of play because the Luverne players had to return home for an athletic banquet at 8 p.m.The Cards plated single runs in the bottom of the second and third innings before adding two more in the fourth to record the win.Mark Remme singled and scored on a passed ball in the second, and he delivered an RBI single to make it 2-0 in the third.Kurtz chased home a pair of runs with a single to cap the scoring in the fourth.Studer worked the first three innings on the mound to pick up the win. He allowed one hit and two walks. Jesse Kuhlman pitched a scoreless fourth inning, walking one batter and allowing one hit.Box score AB R H BIJo.Pick 3 1 2 0Uilk 2 1 1 0Studer 1 0 0 0Boen 0 0 0 0Kurtz 3 0 2 2Remme 1 1 1 1DeWispelaere 2 0 0 0Reisch 2 0 0 0Jr.Pick 1 0 0 0Kuhlman 2 1 1 0Wysong 1 0 0 0Fairmont 9, Luverne 1Luverne’s longest losing streak of the season reached four straight games when Fairmont handed the Cardinals an eight-run setback in Luverne Friday.Fairmont opened a 9-0 lead by scoring one run in the second inning, three in the third and five runs in the sixth inning.The Cardinals, who were limited to a pair of hits in the game, avoided a shutout by scoring one run in the bottom of the seventh without the benefit of a safety.Scott Boelman reached base on an error before scoring Luverne’s run on a wild pitch.Uilk singled and Rob Fodness laid down a bunt single to account for Luverne’s hits in the game.Studer walked five batters and allowed one hit and one run in two innings of work as Luverne’s starting pitcher. He took the loss. Jared Pick surrendered four hits, three walks and three runs in two innings. Kurtz allowed five runs in two innings and Kuhlman pitched a scoreless seventh inning.Box score AB R H BIRemme 2 0 0 0Goembel 0 0 0 0Uilk 2 0 1 0Boen 1 0 0 0Deutsch 1 0 0 0Studer 2 0 0 0S.Pick 1 0 0 0Jo.Pick 2 0 0 0Reisch 1 0 0 0Kurtz 2 0 0 0Petersen 1 0 0 0Schmidt 1 0 0 0Boelman 0 1 0 0Jr.Pick 1 0 0 0Fodness 1 0 1 0Johnson 1 0 0 0DeWispelaere 0 0 0 0Kuhlman 2 0 0 0Wysong 2 0 0 0
