Hounds split with No. 12 Burlington

BURLINGTON – The Fort Madison Bloodhounds walked away from Monday night’s doubleheader split with Burlington feeling pretty good about the night.
Not only did senior Lauryn Helmick hand the Grayhounds their first Southeast Conference loss of the year, and did it on the road, but junior Brylie Lorence hit her first homer of the year that proved to be the game-one winner.
Lorence hit a low flyball deep to right center that cleared the yellow fencetop in a hurry for a two-run homer. The hit came with one out on a full-count. Lorence rounded the bases with a big smile on her face and was mobbed at home by the Fort Madison girls.
The homer came after Helmick scored on a fielder’s choice by Alivia Holmes after the Bloodhounds opened the game with back-to-back walks off Burlington starter Kylee Hill, who took the loss. Hill just missed tying the game in the bottom of the seventh when her towering fly to left center was caught high by the Lady Hounds' Taylor Johnson at the fence near the foul pole down the left field line.
Burlington scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the first inning when Ava Fawcett scored tagging from third on a fly to center off the bat of Mady Taeger that Olivia Buckner tracked down on the run.
Fort Madison got some solid defense in the outfield with several catches on the run and up against the fence. Johnson caught a short fly to left center on her knees sliding toward center in the bottom of the third inning.
Helmick’s line was one of the best of her season, allowing just two hits to the potent Grayhound offense. She struck out four and walked five surrendering just the one earned run.
She worked out of two bases-loaded scenarios, including a third-out strikeout of Hill on a rise ball in the bottom of the second.
Elle Ruble went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Elizabeth Tanner was 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Fort Madison on offense. Helmick and Lorence had the other hits for the Hounds. Burlington got hits from Fawcett and Ava Brandenburg.
The Grayhounds regrouped and shut down Fort Madison in the nightcap with a nice breeze blowing out at Wagner Field.
The 11-1 affair lasted just 5 ½ innings as the 10-run rule was invoked when Fort Madison couldn’t pick up another run in the top half. Lorence followed a Grayhound error that put Ruble on with a one-out single. Johnson would then slap a single into center scoring Ruble and leaving two runners on, but Tanner would ground into a 4-3 double play to end the game.
Burlington would put up a big six-run fourth inning where Fort Madison committed three errors for an 11-0 lead going into the fifth. Hill belted her first homer of the year on a 1-2 offering from Fort Madison’s  Emma Snaadt in the bottom of the third.
Burlington outhit the Hounds just 10-8 in the nightcap. Buckner went 2-for-2 at the plate. Ruble, Holmes, Lorence, Johnson, Tanner, and Kylie Lumino all had hits for the Hounds.
Fort Madison (4-5, 6-10) hosts Davenport North in a doubleheader Wednesday at Baxter Sports Complex and then Burlington (9-1, 13-4) comes into town for a single game Thursday. They travel to the Linn-Mar/Alburnett tourney on Friday in Marion.