DES MOINES — The Marshalltown baseball team opened the season with a decisive doubleheader sweep of Des Moines North on Wednesday night, pounding the Polar Bears 19-1 and 20-0, both in four innings.
The Bobcats got contributions up and down their lineup from players young and old. Senior Zander Stupp pitched three perfect innings for the win in Game 1, and he went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles, four runs scored and five RBIs in the nightcap.
Marshalltown (2-0) rapped out 15 hits in the first game, scoring nine times in the third inning and seven more in the fourth to bring the score to its eventual final. Sophomore Luke Stalzer had a run-scoring single and a two-run single in the Bobcats’ nine-run third, and eighth-grader Madden Martin had a hit and two RBIs in the frame.
Senior Sam Greazel ripped a two-run double to highlight the seven-run fourth.
Senior Tayven Dutton was 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored to lead MHS offensively in the first game, Greazel was 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs, and Stalzer was 3-for-3 with a double, two runs and three RBIs.
Martin and fellow eighth-grader Larrs Schoenfelder added two hits apiece.
In the nightcap, MHS scored 11 runs in the top of the first inning and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half to spark the 21-0 outcome.
Freshman catcher Garrett Thede had a two-run single and Stupp had a three-run double to highlight the big inning. Sophomore JJ Schoenfelder followed Stupp with a double of his own to make it 11-0.
Greazel pitched into and out of a jam in the bottom of the first and finished with five strikeouts while allowing one hit, one walk and one hit batsman in two innings for the win. Larrs Schoenfelder struck out five of the six batters he faced over the final two frames.
Stupp’s 3-for-3 game at the plate included two doubles, four runs scored and five RBIs. Thede was 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs, while Dutton and JJ Schoenfelder had two hits apiece. Freshman Aiden Holmgren was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and four runs scored.
For the day, Marshalltown pitching allowed just two hits, one walk and three hit batsman, and the defense made no errors. The Bobcats totaled 28 hits, were walked 13 times and hit by the pitch eight times.
“For the first set of games for the season our pitching was good all-around,” said MHS head coach Colton Hanke. “They filled the zone up and we were able to capitalize on the opportunities we created offensively.
“We still have a few things to work on tomorrow to get ready for Friday night.”
The Bobcats play their home-opener on Friday against North Tama, hosting the JV/varsity doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. at the MHS diamond.