Hounds get first wins of season

FORT MADISON – The Fort Madison Bloodhounds shook off an 0-6 start to the 2025 baseball season and swept their Southeast Conference opener with Keokuk Monday night 7-3.
Freshman Reece Huey came up big in the win in the second game striking out nine hitters in five innings, while allowing no runs on just three hits and two walks. He also threw a 1/3 in the opener coming on in relief and buttoning up the Hounds' first win of the year.
Huey said games with Keokuk are emotional games and the win provides the Hounds with a little momentum.
“It’s a big rivalry game. I had to just come out and throw strikes and let the defense work a little bit. I was really trying to get the ball in the zone and then just go from there,” Huey said.
Huey played varsity last year as an eighth grader and has developed a very quick process on the mound. He rarely allows more than three seconds to go by once he has the ball on the mound. That speed may have been problematic with the Chief hitters.
“It kind of keeps me in a rhythm, gets them off pace. They're trying to take breaks and I'm trying to go. So that just kind of helps to keep the momentum going.”
The Hounds opened a two-run lead after two innings in the opener, one run on a passed ball in the first and the other on a Tateum Schelich RBI single to deep short. Keokuk would respond in the top of the third when Lincoln Wray scored on a single. The Chiefs would take a short 3-2 lead with a two-run fifth, but Fort Madison would counter with two in the bottom half when senior Luke Hellige pounded a single into right field for a 4-3 lead that Fort Madison wouldn’t relinquish.
Hellige started on the bump for Fort Madison going 3 2/3 giving up three hits and fanning six, while allowing just one earned run. Michael Fuller came on in the 4th and would get the win with the Hounds' two runs in the fifth. Fuller struck out four and allowed two runs, both earned in 2 1/3 innings of work. Huey worked the final inning fanning two and allowing just one hit.
Fort Madison would add three more runs in the bottom of the sixth before Huey slammed the door.
Owen Huffman and Schelich each had multi-hit games for the Hounds.  Schelich went 3 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.
In the nightcap, Huey went to work quickly holding the Chiefs to just three hits in five innings of work. He also scored three runs in the nightcap.
Fort Madison opened with three runs in the bottom of the first on Nolan Lamb’s single to right scoring Brody Cashman and Luke Hellige. They would add a run in the second for a 4-0 lead and then break things open with a four-run fourth inning all with two outs.

Huey would work a 2-out single followed by walks to Owen Huffman and Hellige.  Huey would score on a wild pitch and then Cashman would rip a liner to center scoring Huffman and Hellige for a 7-0 lead. Lamb would single to short and Cashman would score on a throwing error for an 8-0 lead before the side was retired.
Keokuk would load the bases in the top of the seventh and score a couple of runs, but Hunter Cook came on in relief of Huey and was able to work out of the inning.
The Hounds almost had a 10-run mercy rule in the 6th, but Karson Dixon would get thrown out at home trying to score on a wild pitch all the way from second.
Huey said the win is big because of the rivalry with Keokuk.
“Oh, it's huge. It's a big rivalry win from last year and we’ve had that rivalry with them. So to start the conference 2-0, we just want to keep it rolling from there.”
Cashman went 3-for-3 in the second game with two RBIs and two runs scored. Lamb also had two RBIs.
Huey said their offense woke up Monday. They had a combined 18 hits in both games of the twinbill, compared to 13 hits in all the previous six games.
“Hitting came through really big today. We were putting balls in the outfield, scoring runners we needed to score. Just putting the ball in play was key. And that’s what we were able to do tonight. I think we showed up pretty well.”
Head Coach Albert Schinstock said he knew the first six games against opponents like Mt. Vernon, Davenport North, and Davenport Assumption would be tough and, despite the 0-6 start, said he wasn’t disappointed in the start of the season.
“We knew those first game were going to be tough. Pretty good competition. Two of those games we stayed in, Davenport North and Assumption. But we had no offense,” Schinstock said.
He was also happy with Huey’s performance.
“He gets up there and gets ready to go. He’s a competitor, a baseball player, and did a hell of a job,” Schinstock said.
Fort Madison (2-6, 2-0) plays seven games in seven days this week including a game at the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville Wednesday night with a 7 p.m start time. They face Fairfield on Thursday and travel to Muscatine Friday before a rare Saturday 10:30 a.m. start with Central Lee in Donnellson.