Lady Hounds split with No. 9 Washington

FORT MADISON – Lady Hounds' head coach Kyle Doherty was a little more upbeat than typical after his softball team split a doubleheader with Washington Monday night at Baxter Sports Complex.
In part he said it’s because the girls are starting to execute better, play as a tighter group, and are gaining confidence as the season rolls quickly to the post season.
Fort Madison won the first game against the Class 3A No. 9 Demons 9-6, but then surrendered the nightcap 5-9.
“At this point, yeah, we're starting to execute some things. I don’t want to call them weaknesses, but some areas in our game that we weren't really executing at the beginning of the season, we're starting to execute on the backside,” Doherty said.
Part of that execution is coming at the plate spearheaded by the hot bat of senior Brylie Lorence.
Lorence has five home runs and 12 RBIs over the last four games. She had three homeruns in a 17-2 win over Danville on Wednesday and then powered two more over the netting at Baxter Sports Complex in Monday’s first game.
“She's fantastic for us all the way through, offense and defense. Offensively, in the first game, she was a huge reason why we ended up winning that.”
Lorence said she’s trying to stay more positive at the plate and is not swinging for fences.
“I just keep telling myself to hit base hits. If the ball’s going to go out, it’s going to go out,” she said.” I wanted to come out and have a good senior season and I'm doing just that.”
Indeed she is. She was ranked 21st in the state in homeruns to start the night and likely has moved up with the two Monday night.
In the first game, Lucia Darnell, just an 8th grader, picked up the win going 5 1/3, scattering eight hits, and allowing five runs, only three earned, while fanning five and walking three.

Jordyn Marshall came on in relief and allowed just one run on two hits in earning the save.
The Hounds put up five runs in the first two innings, three in the first off Lorence’s first homer to center, and then added three more in the fourth. Washington had three runs in the first inning but was then held scoreless through the fifth.
Leading 9-3 in the top of the sixth, Darnell surrendered a couple singles around a strikeout. Washington’s Ella Greiner then singled to center scoring two runs to cut the lead to 9-5. Colbie Greiner would then single to put two on with only one out, but then Marshall came in in relief and got two infield popouts to retire the side.
The Hounds would threaten again in the bottom of the sixth with two on and one out, but a popout and flyout to center would end the inning. Washington got two runners on with just one out in the top of the seventh and scored a run on a ground out, but another infield popout ended the game.
Lorence went 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs and four runs scored to lead Fort Madison.  Kylie Lumino and Emma Snaadt each had three hits in game one.
In the second game, Fort Madison couldn’t put any big innings together, but scored a run in each of the first, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh innings. Washington had a punch in the middle innings with seven runs in the 4th-6th. Fort Madison opened the bottom of the seventh with three hits in the first four at bats trying to kick start a rally. Jordyn Marshall’s double scored Laci Gathers for what would be the Hounds' final run, as a popout and a ground out ended the rally.
Snaadt went 2 for 3 at the plate and scored two runs. Marshall, Lorence, Ava Fuget, Darnell, and Gathers all had hits in the loss. Marshall also suffered the loss going four innings and allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out two. Snaadt came on in relief and surrendered four runs on two hits while fanning one.
Doherty said the girls' confidence is starting to surface at the right time.
“They’re starting to kind of come around.  I think they're getting a little bit more confidence and I think the big thing going into this is I tell them to just be a human being. Don’t play tight and don't set that expectation so high. Just go out play ball,” he said.
“I'm confident if we commit a couple errors, our offense will pick us up, so hopefully that will start to click here as we get going this week.”
The Lady Hounds (9-11, 6-8 in Southeast Conference) travel to the University of Iowa Tuesday to play Newton on the Hawkeye’s Bob Pearl Field. They then travel to Centerville on Wednesday and play at Mt. Pleasant on Thursday. Fort Madison wraps up the regular season on Monday and Tuesday next week, before regional action begins on Thursday at Keokuk.