Hounds end year with loss at Mt. Pleasant

MT. PLEASANT – The Fort Madison Bloodhound baseball team outhit Mt. Pleasant in Class 3A Substate 5 bracket 9-7, but the final score didn’t reflect the offense as the Panthers ended the Hounds’ season with a 4-2 win Friday night in Mt. Pleasant.
The Hounds got on board first in the top of the third when Tateum Schelich drove in Reece Huey on a fielder’s choice. Huey opened the inning with a single and moved up on a ground out by senior Hunter Cresswell. Luke Hellige would draw a walk to put runners at first and second.
Brody Cashman then sacrificed the runners up with a bunt back to the pitcher before Schelich drove in Huey and a strikeout ended the inning.
Fort Madison would hold the lead behind Cresswell’s efforts on the mount until the bottom of the fourth when Mt. Pleasant loaded the bases with one out.
Cresswell got a strikeout to start the frame, but then hit a batter and walked the next before Payton Hagans singled to load the bags. Payson Coleman followed with a single to left scoring two. Cresswell would walk the next hitter to load the bases again, but the Hounds would get out of the inning on a groundout and a flyout trailing 2-1.
The Hounds would tie it up in the top of the 5th when Huey scored again on a double steal with Owen Huffman getting caught at second, but Huey got across the plate at home to manufacture a run. A strikeout would end the inning tied at 2.
The Panthers would score what would prove to be the game-winner in the bottom of the fifth when Hagans singled to left scoring Landen Seymoure, who was pinch running with two outs. Fort Madison would get out of the inning recording a groundout on the next hitter. Schelich would open the sixth with a single, but the Panthers would get a strikeout and a double play ground ball to short to end the inning.
Mt. Pleasant would add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Fort Madison would look to tie things up in the seventh with two runners on and two outs. Huey singled with two outs and Cresswell followed with a single, but a groundout to short by Luke Hellige ended the game and the Hounds’ season.
The loss was the fifth in a row by Fort Madison.
Cresswell went all six innings giving up four runs, all earned on seven hits, while fanning eight and walking three. Huey led Fort Madison at the plate going 4-for-4 with two runs scored. Schelich was 2-of-3 with an RBI. Cresswell, Cashman, and Stefan Berlett each had a hit for the Hounds who finish the year 11-21 overall and 7-8 in the Southeast Conference, good enough for fourth place.