Lady Hounds squander chances against Keokuk

FORT MADISON - The chances were there in both games.
But Fort Madison High School’s softball team couldn’t capitalize in the doubleheader loss to Keokuk on Monday at the Baxter Sports Complex.
The Bloodhounds couldn’t get anything out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the seventh inning of the 7-4 loss in the first game. They only got one run out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the fifth inning of the 9-7 loss in the second game.
“Like I’ve said the other day, we just need all nine (hitters) to be hot,” Fort Madison coach Jared Rehm said. “I don’t know who were the hottest ones today.”
The Bloodhounds had all kinds of traffic on the bases, but only had one hit off Keokuk pitcher Ada Wood in the first game. Reilynn Turnbull scored on a throwing error and Lauryn Helmick scored on a wild pitch in the second inning. Two runs came in on an error in the fifth inning.
Yet Fort Madison had the tying runs on in the seventh before Wood finished the game with back-to-back strikeouts.
“We got four runs and didn’t have a hit, or one hit,” Rehm said. “If we get some hits in some of those situations, it’s a different game.”
Fort Madison’s bats got going in the second game, scoring four first-inning runs off five hits. The Bloodhounds had 13 hits overall, but left eight baserunners.

The crucial inning, though, was the fifth. Brylie Lorence’s run-scoring single that tied the game at 6 was sandwiched between walks to Taylor Johnson and Kylie Lumina. But Keokuk pitcher Gracie Thompson struck out the next two hitters, then got Helmick on a fly ball to right field to end the inning.
“We just didn’t capitalize,” Rehm said. “We had the bases loaded and no one out and scored (one). We should expect to get more than one run in that situation.
“We just have to string hits together and put together big innings.
The Chiefs then broke the game open with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Fort Madison got one run back in the bottom of the inning for the final margin.
Keokuk was able to string together hits off Fort Madison’s young pitchers in both games.
Freshman Emma Snaadt gave up seven hits in four innings in the first game. Eighth-grader Jordyn Marshall gave up 13 hits in seven innings in the second game.
“It’s definitely a learning curve, growing pains,” Rehm said. “Jordyn, I think, is picking up on things. It’s just a lot of lessons for them.”
Fort Madison fell to 5-8 overall, 3-4 in the Southeast Conference.  Keokuk moved to 6-7, 4-4. The two teams play Thursday in a single game in Keokuk.