Hounds hang tough in substate loss

Pennock outing

Aidan pitched great. This was the best he’s looked all year. And we got the defense playing behind him. He had six pitches left so we had Kane ready. We told Aidan he was on a short leash. If he walked one or two he was going to be done and he did not. He looked great.”

Albert Schinstock, FMHS Baseball coach

VAN HORNE – The defense was solid. Aidan Pennock was dealing, but a four-run sixth inning put an upset bid out of reach for the Bloodhounds in Class 3A Substate 5 action Friday night.
Fort Madison ended their season at 10-19 in Head Coach Albert Schinstock’s first year at the helm with a 6-0 loss in Van Horne.
The Hounds hung around with the 26-10 Bobcats trailing just 2-0 after five innings, with the senior Pennock keeping Benton hitters off balance outside of a leadoff home run to deep right field by Wyatt Rinderknecht in the rain.
The rain started almost immediately with the first pitch and lasted about two innings before giving way to a cool summer evening nestled in the farmfields of Benton County.
Pennock would give up another run in the bottom of the second after surrendering a leadoff walk and back-to-back singles.
A infield fielder’s choice scored sophomore Casey Gessner, but Pennock would coax a couple infield popups to shortstop Kane Williams to end the inning.
The two teams would play scoreless through the next three innings Benton started the bottom of the third when Cael Kaestner reached on a fielding error, but two consecutive flyouts and the Hounds' Ames Schinstock throwing out a runner trying to swipe second ended the inning. Schinstock threw out two Bobcats on the night.
Williams would then stroke a one-out double to center to put a runner in scoring position in the top of the fourth, but Hunter Cresswell would pop out in foul territory and Luke Hellige would fan to strand Williams.
The Hounds would leave four runners on the base paths on the night.
Still trailing 2-0, Tateum Schelich would single to center to open the top of the fifth. After a strikeout and a flyout to center, Aiden Mitchell would single to center moving Schelich into scoring position, but a groundout to first stopped the momentum and stranded two.
In the bottom half, Winderknecht wore a pitch from Pennock with two outs, but Schinstock again would clean things up throwing out Winderknecht again trying to steal.
The Bloodhounds’ best shot catching the Bobcats came in the top of the sixth. Brody Cashman doubled down the left field line just inside over the 3^rd base bag to open the top half.  Williams hit a hard shot into the gap between short and third that was bobbled by Benton shortstop Lane Kaestner putting two on with no outs. Cresswell would fan for the first out, but Luke Hellige took one in the back to load the bases with just one out, bringing Schelich to the plate.
Schelich hit an 0-2 pitch to the right side of the infield that was scooped up for a 4-6-3 double play to wipe out the rally.
Benton would put up four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Pennock would give up a leadoff walk and then, on a sacrifice bunt attempt from Benton’s Evan Daugherty, Pennock thought he could catch the lead runner at 2^nd, but the throw was late leaving both runners safe.
Another sacrifice bunt resulted in an out, but put runners at 2^nd and 3^rd with one out. FM Head Coach Albert Schinstock put Cale Kaestner on intentionally to load the bases and hope for a force at the plate or, better yet, a double play ball.
With the infield in to prevent a Bobcat run, Eli Patterson hit a ball to the right side that jumped  off the infield seam over the head of Schelich at second into right field. The throw from right was to home to try and get Daugherty, but was high and went to the fence allowing a second run to score.
The Hounds would get snakebit again when Drew Fillenworth’s hit down the first base line clipped the bag and popped up over Caden Barnes to allow another run to score.
Fort Madison would get the next two hitters to end the inning, but would go down in order in the top of the seventh for the loss.
Albert Schinstock said Pennock put together his best outing of the year.
“Aidan pitched great. This was the best he’s looked all year,” Schinstock said.
“And we got the defense playing behind him. He had six pitches left so we had Kane ready. We told Aidan he was on a short leash. If he walked one or two he was going to be done and he did not. He looked great.”
Schinstock looked back at the sixth inning as the pressure point in the game.
“A couple of those were really unfortunate breaks. But I couldn’t have asked for a better effort tonight. We had our chances,” he said.
“Had the bases loaded with one out and then there’s that double play. I mean, if we get one or two there, we can put pressure on them and then you come in in the next inning playing with house money.”
The Hounds will lose Kane Williams and Aidan Pennock out of the starting rotation, but will also lose role players Mateo Lozano and Aidan Boyer.
“Pennock and Kane, I’ve been with them for five years. We’ll sorely miss them. Great kids, not just baseball. Mateo and Boyer, to come out for the first year, they knew their role. They made their impact and they were really good in the dugout and kept things interesting - made it fun,” Schinstock said.
He said the Hounds were up and down all year, but they have good stock in underclassmen and another good group coming in.
“We have five sophomores and a freshman that started tonight. We got players coming back,” he said. “I think we have a lot coming back and a lot coming into the program. The future is bright for years to come.”
Pennock gave up just five hits for six runs, four earned while striking out three and walking two.
Fort Madison managed four hits, one each from Cashman, Williams, Schelich, and Mitchell, but suffered nine strikeouts at the hands of Benton senior Jordan Thys.