Hounds respond with win over Ottumwa

Kane Williams misses shutout on unearned run in top of 7th

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - A weird confluence of events resulted in the FM boys baseball team winning its sixth game in their last seven Friday night in Fort Madison.

The Hounds were pulled from infield warmups after about three minutes by Head Coach Ron Walker for a lackluster approach and then an odd suspension of play with rain coming down reset the Bloodhounds as they downed Ottumwa 8-1.

"I guess we're 2-0 on that," Walker said.

He pulled the team from warm-ups in a similar fashion at West Burlington a couple years ago and the Hounds came out with the win.

Then the sprinkles came before a 10-minute moderate rain prompted the home official to suspend play for about 15 minutes. After the delay in the second inning, junior Kane Williams went out and threw a four-hit gem, missing a shutout on a two-out Bulldog run in the top of the seventh on a fielder's choice to third.

Williams (4-0) slung his shoulders for a few seconds and then got the last hitter to ground out for the win.

"It's been a long week, we were outta pitching and Kane was our go-to. We had (Reiburn) Turnbull ready but we had to piecemeal a week together," Walker said.

Williams worked a clean first inning before getting into a little trouble in the second. Giving up back-to-back singles to start the inning, followed by a bunt that he bobbled trying to throw down to first, Ottumwa had the bases loaded with no outs.

But Williams got a grounder back to him on an 0-2 pitch that he flipped home for a force and catcher Caden Barnes fired to first for the double play. A pop-up to Williams ended the inning without a run being scored.

"That kinda set the tone in the second inning when we had bases loaded and nobody out. Kane induced a comebacker and made a nice play to the get the one at home and then Caden, a freshman catcher, made a nice turn for the 1-2-3. Then everything was going our way," Walker said.

Barnes, playing his first year of varsity ball, has started 18 of the Hounds' 20 games behind the plate and Walker said he's coming along nicely in the gear.

"Yeah, I'm ecstatic. Two or three years ago, we had a love-hate relationship because I knew this was coming, but I can't be happier from that time til today. He's maturing right in front of our eyes."

Through Thursday night, Barnes was sixth on the team hitting at .288 and fielding at .988 with just two errors. He's fourth in RBIs with 9.

Fort Madison opened a comfortable lead in the bottom half of the second. Jordan Simpson was hit by a pitch, Matt Hopper drew a walk, and Barnes reached on an infield single to third to load the bases. Aiden Mitchell then stood in front of a ball pushing Simpson in for a 1-0 lead.

Aidan Pennock drew a walk scoring Hopper, and Williams singled through the middle just past the glove of Ottumwa's Carter Thompson at short, scoring courtesy runner Henry Wiseman. Turnbull took a breaking ball off his foot to score Mitchell.

Tate Johnson scored Pennock on a fielder's choice grounder that caught Turnbull at second for the first out. Tanner Settles laid down a nice bunt single ro score Williams and make it 6-0 before a ground out and strike out ended the rally.

Fort Madison would put up two more in the bottom of the fifth inning on a couple wild pitches to make it 8-0 before Ottumwa got its only run in the top of the seventh.

Williams went 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and run scored to lead Fort Madison. The junior struck out seven in seven innings giving up just four hits and the one run, unearned, while walking just one.

Settles, Simpson, and Barnes had the other hits for Fort Madison, who had just five on the night, but drove in six runs.

Fort Madison has been missing a key component this week with leading hitter Landes Williams (.410) out at a national trades competition in Atlanta. Williams' trades team finished second in the nation at the event. He will be back in the lineup on Monday.

"I couldn't be happier for him. He pulled me aside one day after they qualified and I think his heart was breaking, but in the skills trade, he had to make that decision. It's great for him. And it was good for us, we got kids playing in different positions.," Walker said, "Going 4-1 without him this week was huge, and a credit to the team for making plays heading into the postseason."

Fort Madison (15-6, 11-5 Southeast) takes on Keokuk (9-14, 5-11) in a doubleheader Monday starting at 5:30 p.m. Monday night is senior night and new Fort Madison AD Jeff Lamb will be introduced. Superintendent Dr. Erin Slater is going to throw out the first pitch.

The Bloodhounds swept a doubleheader Thursday night at Washington 12-5 and 16-10. Fort Madison started quick with eight runs in the first inning highlighted by a 2-run double from Barnes to center and a 2-RBI triple from Williams to center. Jordan Simpson went 3-4 at the plate with two runs scored and Brennan Ulik was 3-5 with a couple runs scored.

Hopper got the win going 5 2/3 giving up four runs, two earned on six hits while fanning six. Luke Hellige threw in relief for four outs giving up an earned run on three hits.

In the nightcap, Pennock got the win going 5 2/3 surrendering 10 runs, seven earned on 10 hits and striking out nine. Hellige again pitched the final four outs striking out two without yielding a hit.

Williams was 3-4 at the plate with a double and 3 RBIs to lead Fort Madison again. Johnson, Ulik, Pennock, and Settles each had 2 RBIs in the win.

Post season announcements for Class 3A and 4A will be released next week.