Bulldogs add four more wins heading into final week of the regular season
Shortstop Bryce Radloff launches a throw to first base in game one of MFL MarMac’s doubleheader sweep of Turkey Valley on June 20. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
Parker Kuehl’s RBI-double was one of the key hits in the Bulldogs’ 7-2 win against the Trojans on June 20.
Landon Johnson steps back toward first base in last week's doubleheader versus Turkey Valley.
Jacob Schellhorn limited the Trojan offense to six hits, one walk and a hit batter, along with two earned runs, over seven innings. He fanned nine batters in last week's victory.
Kaden Stocker celebrates a run with fellow senior Chauncy Drahn. The Bulldogs won both games against Turkey Valley on June 20.
Ben Krambeer puts a ball into play against the Trojans.
Chauncy Drahn races for first base in game one of the doubleheader against Turkey Valley. He had a two-hit, two-RBI effort, and scored two runs.
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The MFL MarMac baseball team added four more wins to its season total last week. The Bulldogs are now 15-10 overall and 10-5 in the Upper Iowa Conference heading into the home stretch of the regular season.
Two of those wins came in a doubleheader against Turkey Valley on June 20 in Monona. MFL MarMac took the opener 7-2, thanks to two, three-run innings in the second and sixth.
Senior Chauncy Drahn bolstered the Bulldogs with a two-hit, two-RBI effort, and scored two runs. He also swiped a team-high three bases. Parker Kuehl added a two-RBI double and walked once, while Elias Hatt singled, walked twice, stole a base and scored two runs.
Jacob Schellhorn limited the Trojan offense to six hits, one walk and a hit batter, along with two earned runs, over seven innings. He fanned nine batters in the victory.
Game two was a 9-8 nail biter in favor of the Bulldogs, who tallied four unanswered runs in the final two innings to overcome a three-score deficit. MFL MarMac picked up eight hits and two walks over seven innings, but also reached five times on errors and stole 11 bases.
Three RBIs were courtesy of Kuehl, who went 2-4, stole two bases and also scored a run. Drahn was 1-4, with a double, drove in a run and scored once. Carver Blietz-Bentien earned a hit and one RBI, swiped two bags and scored a run.
MFL MarMac’s pitching performance was a group effort between Drahn, Blietz-Bentien and Ben Krambeer. The win went to Blietz-Bentien, who worked a scoreless three innings while allowing just two hits and three walks and striking out seven Trojans.
The Bulldogs pushed their winning streak to three in a row the following night, in a 19-7 blowout over Oelwein. The team collected nine hits and a whopping 13 walks, and managed to score in all but two innings, including an eight-run third.
Krambeer finished the night 2-3, in addition to being hit twice. He drove in three runs and crossed the plate three times himself. Kaden Stocker knocked in three runs on a double and a sacrifice, drew three walks, stole a base and scored twice, while Hatt was 1-1 with three walks, three RBIs and a run scored. Kuehl’s stat line included two singles, two walks, two steals, an RBI and a team-leading four runs.
Drahn secured the victory after allowing three hits, six walks, a hit batter and four earned runs over two and two-thirds innings. He had two strikeouts.
Unfortunately, Wapsie Valley halted MFL MarMac’s string of success with a 12-6 win on June 22. The Warriors racked up 15 hits against the Bulldog pitching staff and churned out two big innings, with five runs in the third and six in the fifth. Several players reached on errors against a usually strong MFL MarMac defense, contributing to nine unearned runs.
Offensively, the Bulldogs still had 10 hits of their own and reached six more times with a combination of walks, hit batters and errors. Stocker was 3-4, including two singles and a double, knocked in a run and scored. Catcher Austin Schlee drove in two teammates on a double, and Blietz-Bentien singled twice, stole a base and scored two runs. Landon Johnson also had a three-hit night.
MFL MarMac got back on track June 23, in a 3-0 conference victory at North Fayette Valley. Stocker shut out the TigerHawks over six and one-third innings, surrendering only three hits, three walks and a hit batter in that span. He struck out seven batters. Austin Evanson pitched the final two outs of the game, to preserve Stocker’s win.
Stocker was a key part of the Bulldog offense too, picking up a hit and a walk, five stolen bases and an RBI. Krambeer was 1-4 with an RBI and run scored, and Johnson chipped in an RBI-double and was hit by a pitch. Drahn singled, swiped two bags and crossed home plate twice.
The Bulldogs wrapped up the week with an 11-2 home loss against Lisbon. The Lions came into the match-up with just five losses, and pounced on MFL MarMac pitching for 10 hits and seven walks, in addition to stealing eight bases.
After a high-scoring week, the Bulldog offense, meanwhile, was held in check. Although the team picked up six hits and four walks, players could only push across single runs in the first and third innings.
Stocker doubled in one of those runs while Schlee was responsible for the other. Drahn singled, walked and scored, and Krambeer reached on a walk and an error and scored a run as well.
MFL MarMac’s regular season wraps up this week with a home doubleheader versus South Winneshiek on June 27, followed by senior night against Clayton Ridge-Central on June 28. The Bulldogs will head to Waukon on June 29, then host Starmont June 30.
The postseason will begin Saturday, July 2, with a Class 2A - Substate 4 first round match-up against winless Postville. Start time is 5 p.m. The winner will play Monticello (13-6) at Beckman Catholic High School on Tuesday, July 5, at 5 p.m.
