Prep baseball:
Jun. 25—FORT MADISON — Life within the CIML Metro conference has been a breeze so far for the Ottumwa High School baseball team.
Life outside the CIML Metro has been a bit of a different story. Ottumwa dropped both ends of a varsity doubleheader on Thursday night at Southeast Polk, falling 6-1 in the opener to the Rams before Miguel Bernandio's two-out RBI single to left in the bottom of the sixth lifted Southeast Polk to a 4-3 win in the nightcap over the Bulldogs.
Things were even tough outside the CIML on Friday. Fort Madison scored six runs on just two hits, with just that found the outfield grass, on the way to an 8-1 win over Ottumwa that featured just three total hits by the Bloodhounds and nine walks by Bulldog pitching.
Cason Palm, Myles Saner and Carter Thompson recorded the only three hits in the opening game at Southeast Polk for Ottumwa with Palm scoring in the fifth on an RBI groundout by Cameron Manary. Braylon Griffiths, Tanner Schark, Javen Rominger and Theron Royer singled in game two against the Rams for OHS with Griffiths and Lucas Barnes driving in runs while Tucker Long reached and scored twice in Thursday's nightcap.
Daltin Doud collected two of Ottumwa's four hits on Friday off Kane Williams, who went the distance on the mound for Fort Madison striking out seven batters. Thompson added a double while Manary drove in Griffiths in the seventh to prevent Williams from pitching a complete-game shutout.
Ottumwa (19-13) will look to continue its bid for CIML Metro perfection on Monday at Des Moines North. The Bulldogs, 14-0 in conference play, need sweeps at North on Monday, at home against Des Moines Lincoln on Wednesday and a sweep at Des Moines Roosevelt on July 6 to finish 20-0 in Metro play for the first time in program history.
