Bulldogs off to 1-3 start
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The MFL MarMac baseball team is off to a 1-3 start, defeating North Iowa last week but losing to Wapsie Valley, Alburnett and Marion.
The Bulldogs kicked off their season May 24, in the Waterloo Bucks Tournament. They dropped the first game 11-2, against Wapsie Valley, who did much of its damage with four-run first and third innings. The Warriors snagged seven hits off Bulldog pitching and walked nine times. They also swiped nine bases and took advantage of three Bulldog errors.
MFL MarMac tallied five hits in the game. Two came from senior Max Havlicek, who singled and doubled, and also drove in a run. Jacob Schellhorn singled and scored, while Kaden Stocker walked twice, stole two bases and scored once. Ben Krambeer had the team’s other RBI.
The Bulldogs concluded the tournament on a high note, defeating North Iowa 6-2 behind a solid start from Havlicek. The senior pitched five innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, while striking out five batters. Cullen McShane pitched the final two innings, giving up just one hit, two walks and a run.
MFL MarMac had a four-run outburst in the third inning, then tacked on single runs in the sixth and seventh. The team racked up six hits but also walked another six times and stole a whopping 12 bases, including five by McShane.
Stocker finished the game 2-3 with a run scored, while Havlicek was 1-4, drove in two runs and scored once. McShane doubled, drove in a run and scored, and Austin Schlee picked up one hit and an RBI. Chauncy Drahn doubled and scored.
The Bulldogs were back in action May 25, losing their home opener to Alburnett, 8-0. The offense struggled in this contest, walking five times but failing to grab a hit. The Pirates also struck MFL MarMac batters out 14 times.
Meanwhile, Alburnett’s offense had no issues, snagging 10 hits and seven walks off Bulldog pitching, along with seven earned runs.
After a May 27 double header against Kee was postponed due to rain, MFL MarMac wrapped up the week May 28, losing 17-4 against Marion. The Indians raced out to a 7-0 lead in the first inning, then added two runs in the second inning and four each in the third and fourth, to seal the victory. They tallied 13 hits, walked seven times and were hit by two pitches, in addition to swiping five bags.
The Bulldogs scored once in the second inning and three times in the fourth frame.
MFL MarMac has four home games on the schedule this week, including a double header versus Postville on June 1. Waukon will visit Monona on June 2, followed by South Winn on June 3.