Lady Hounds drop three at QC tourney

PCC SPORTS

DAVENPORT - A seventh-inning rally came up short for Fort Madison at the Davenport West Varsity Tournament Saturday in the Quad Cities.

Fort Madison went 0-3 at the tournament with tight games and close losses. The Hounds fell 4-2 to Ottumwa, 5-3 to Indianola and 9-6 to Davenport West, the third loss to the Falcons in the past four days to West.

Fort Madison falls below .500 at 8-9 on the year, but is still 7-1 in the Southeast Conference with a showdown with Burlington just around the corner on Monday.

Elle Ruble doubled in the seventh with one out scoring a run, and Taylor Johnson followed with a one-out single that plated Ruble. But Emily Steffensmeier fanned and Neeley Rehm grounded out to end the game. Fort Madison trailed 4-0 going into the final inning.

Steffensmeier had two hits in the game while Rehm, Logan Johnson, Ruble, and Taylor Johnson all had hits in the game. Ruble and Johnson had the two RBI. Rehm went the distance surrendering seven hits while allowing four hits, striking out four and walking four.

In the Indianola game, it was the Indians that had the big seventh, staging a 3-run come-from-behind win trailing 3-2 going into the final inning.

Selia Becker singled to open the top of the 7th. Helmick worked a strikeout to the next hitter and issued a walk after that. Mara Bishop then came on and drove an 1-0 pitch over the left field fence for a 3-run homer that proved to be the game winner as Fort Madison would go 3-up, 3-down in the bottom half.

Lauryn Helmick gave up seven hits and struck out seven while giving up five earned runs in the loss.

In the final game of the day, Davenport West, who had swept the Hounds in a Wednesday doubleheader got the best of Fort Madison again.

Fort Madison opened up a 6-0 lead after two innings. McKenna Cashman and Lauryn Helmick each had RBI singles in the first inning to lead Fort Madison to a 5-0 lead after one. Erika Kruse would add a run in the second with an RBI single for a 6-1 lead.

But West's Mya Verndon, who came on in relief in the second inning, held the Hounds in check the rest of the way going six innings giving up three hits and one run while striking out four and walking none.

Steffensemeier, Logan Johnson, Kruse, Helmick, and Cashman all had hits in the game. Kruse, Rehm, Helmick, and Cashman each had an RBI.

Kruse went all six on the mound for Fort Madison giving up nine runs, four earned on seven hits while striking out four and walking four.