Mt. Pleasant, Kekouk baseball teams trade punches

MT. PLEASANT — The Mt. Pleasant baseball team could very well be 5-1 in Southeast Conference play. It could just as easily be 1-5. As it stands, though, the Panthers sit at a perfectly balanced 3-3.

For the third-straight SEC doubleheader in a row, Mt. Pleasant split on Monday night, beating Keokuk 9-8 in Game 1 before falling 4-3 in Game 2. The Panthers have now played one-run ballgames in four of their six league games.

Offense was popping off in Game 1, as the two teams combined for nine runs in the first inning. Keokuk took an early 4-0 lead, but Mt. Pleasant responded by batting through the order in the bottom half and scoring five runs.

Four innings later, the Panthers did it again. Mt. Pleasant hit through the order again in the fifth, scoring four more to take a 9-4 lead.

Keokuk, though, wouldn’t go away. The Chiefs battled back to score four more runs over its next two at-bats. The Chiefs had the bases loaded with two outs in the seventh, but Payton Hagans closed the game with a strikeout and Mt. Pleasant survived.

“He did a great job for us again,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach Brent Broeker. “Hagans came in and did what he’s done all year, pump strikes.”

Lincoln Henriksen went 3-for-4 in Game 1 to lead Mt. Pleasant Carter Amos was 2-for-3. Cooper Keldgord was 2-for-4.

Mt. Pleasant held an early 2-0 lead in Game 2., but Keokuk scrapped back again. The Chiefs scored one in the fourth and one in the fifth to tie the game at 2-2.

Mt. Pleasant took the lead back when Jake Ensminger led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and scored on an RBI single from Amos, but the Chiefs would score one more each in the sixth and seventh to steal the win.

After the game, Coach Broeker said his team needs to get better at piling on the runs when they get ahead.

“We just can’t seem to add on when we have a lead,” Broeker said. “Maybe these kids are just too nice.”

Ensminger went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases in Game 2. Ben Newton was 1-for-2 with two RBIs. Amos was 1-for-4 with an RBI.

Newton started the game on the mound for Mt. Pleasant. Wellington came in to relieve Newton in the last two frames.

Mt. Pleasant will put that 3-3 conference record up against Burlington (5-0) Thursday night on the road.