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Mt. Pleasant sweeps Fort Madison, tops Davis County to open week
Panther baseball opens week with trio of wins over Bloodhounds and Mustangs
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
It’s been a strong start to the week for Mt. Pleasant baseball, as the Panthers racked up three wins in just two days.
They swept Fort Madison in a Southeast Conference doubleheader on Monday, winning 13-3 and 6-4, then followed it up with an 11-3 victory over Davis County on Tuesday.
In the opener against Fort Madison, the Panthers wasted no time getting on the board, putting up three runs in the first inning.
The Bloodhounds matched that output with three runs of their own over the first two innings, but that was all they would get.
From there, Mt. Pleasant’s ace Zach Newton took control. After allowing three hits early, Newton completely shut the door, retiring the next 12 batters in order and finishing with three strikeouts to earn the win.
The Panthers broke things open in the fifth inning, highlighted by Cooper Coleman’s two-run double during a five-run outburst. Payton Walker and Newton each recorded two hits, with Newton adding an RBI. Grayson Lowery and Griffin Jones both chipped in a hit and three RBIs apiece.
In game two, Mt. Pleasant jumped ahead 1-0 in the first, but Fort Madison answered with a pair in the second to take a brief lead.
The Panthers didn’t regain control until the sixth inning, when they scored three runs to go up for good, then added another insurance run in the seventh.
J.C. Sitar and Grayson Lowery drove in key runs during the comeback. Sitar led the offense with three hits and two RBIs, while Lowery added another RBI. Brayton Huston contributed with two hits in the win.
The Panthers stayed hot the next day against Davis County, building a 4-1 lead through three innings. Davis County closed the gap to 4-3 in the fourth, but Mt. Pleasant responded with a late offensive surge, scoring seven combined runs in the fifth and sixth innings to put the game out of reach.
Interestingly, Walker and Coleman didn’t register hits in the contest but still combined for five RBIs, three from Walker and two from Coleman. Brayton Hutson and Griffin Jones each collected three hits. Sitar and Brody Clark also added a hit apiece.
On the mound, Sitar earned the win, tossing four solid innings with just two hits allowed and three strikeouts.
Mt. Pleasant now sits at 10-7 on the season and 5-3 in the SEC.
