Muskies pitching stifles Hounds in Friday sweep

The Hounds' Stefan Berlett (4) waits on a throw at third as a Muskie slides in head first. Fort Madison fell to .500 on the season with two losses Friday night to Muscatine.

Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

FORT MADISON – The Muscatine Muskies annoyed the Fort Madison boys' baseball team Friday night almost as much as the gnats emanating from the timber behind the field.
The Muskies worked a 12-2, 22-0 doubleheader sweep Friday night in Fort Madison as the Bloodhounds couldn’t find a way to tame the bats in the non-conference matchup.
Caden Barnes took the loss in the opener trying to work a fickle strikezone. Barnes’ line was seven runs all earned on six hits while fanning five and walking three. The Muskies’ Thomas Norton and Cal Hollenbaugh combined for a one-hitter in the opener.
Hunter Cresswell had the only hit for Fort Madison. Their two runs came on a passed ball in the bottom of the second and fielder’s choice in the fifth.
Muscatine opened the scoring in the top of the first with two runs on two doubles, and held a 2-1 lead going into the third inning. The Hounds had the bases loaded with one out in the third, but a popout and a strikeout ended the inning.
Muscatine would put up five more in the top of the fourth and four in the top of the sixth to invoke the 10-run rule after six innings.
Brody Cashman and Tateum Schelich each had a run scored in the loss.
Jay Ellison and Case Fraise each threw an inning for the Bloodhounds.
In the nightcap, the Hounds gave up 12 runs in the top of the 4th inning to end a rough 22-0 shutout that again saw Fort Madison muster just one hit by Luke Hellige. Aidan Mitchell suffered the loss going two innings giving up nine runs, seven earned on six hits and three walks. Owen Huffman, Cashman, and Michael Fuller also saw time on the mound for Fort Madison.
Fort Madison falls to 4-4 overall and remains at 1-2 in the Southeast Conference. The Hounds have six games slated for next week starting with a doubleheader at Washington Monday and then a single game with the Demons at Fort Madison on Thursday, all conference games. On Friday, Class 1A No. 1 Burlington Notre Dame comes to Fort Madison for a single game. Fort Madison then travels to Davenport Saturday for games against West and Central.