Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Keaton Jones of Fort Dodge homers earlier this week at McNeil Field.

Fort Dodge capped its home baseball season with a dramatic doubleheader sweep of Sioux City East at Ed McNeil Field on Senior Night here Friday.

After winning the opener 6-2, the Dodgers needed extra innings to take the second game, 11-10.

Sophomore Bryer Nelson smacked a two-run single with the bases loaded to complete the sweep for the Dodgers (12-26 overall). That came after senior Colin Leonard drove home a run to pull the Dodgers to within 10-9.

“We’ve been talking about playing our best baseball at the end of the season,” said FDSH head coach Blake Utley. “We weren’t perfect, but we made enough plays to win. Bryer’s hit was just a culmination of everything. Bryer’s hit was big, but so was Leonard’s. That’s awesome for senior to do that (in his last home game).”

Fort Dodge had blown a 7-2 lead after East scored two runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings, as the Black Raiders (17-19) pulled on top at 10-8 going into the bottom of the eighth. East actually led 8-7 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but the Dodgers got an RBI single from freshman Shane Halligan to force extras. Halligan finished with three hits and four RBI.

Senior Keaton Jones added three hits while Leonard and junior Tyrnan Lara added two hits a piece.

“It’s important to win one-run games at this point in the season,” said Utley, whose team closes out the regular season Monday at Ankeny Centennial.

The triumph in the opener snapped a six-game losing streak for the Dodgers, who will face seventh-ranked Indianola in a Class 4A substate quarterfinal Friday in Indianola.

“We came out and played a solid first game,” added Utley. “We just had a different, more confident approach. We showed that we can play good baseball.”

The Dodgers broke open the first contest with two runs in the fourth, and added three more in the fifth.

Nelson and Halligan each drove in two runs.

Sophomore Drew Callon went the distance on the mound for the win. He allowed just two hits and struck out seven.

Lara worked the final two innings to log the victory in the nightcap.

Jones was honored, alongside Leonard and fellow seniors A.J. Ruge and Shane Greve.

Monday’s doubleheader at Centennial starts at 5 p.m. The substate tilt at Indianola will start at 7 p.m.

Centennial, Newton, Mason City and Marshalltown are also in the Dodgers’ substate.

FORT DODGE 6, SC EAST 2

East 000 001 1 — 2 2 2

Fort Dodge 010 230 x — 6 5 2

Rafi Mejiah, Jace Patterson (5) and Sam Chadwick. Drew Callon and Shane Halligan. 2B–East: Nate Zyzda. S–FD: Bryer Nelson. SB–East: Alex Kleider, Lucas Drent; FD: Nathan Blocker, Kade Solverson. LOB–East 2, Fort Dodge 8.

FORT DODGE 11, SC EAST 10 (8 INN.)

East 200 022 22 — 10 9 2

Fort Dodge 304 000 13 — 11 13 3

Christian Peterson, Alec Patino (3), Josh Nutt (8) and Chadwick. S–FD: Nelson, Shane Greve. 2B–East: Mejiah; FD: Miller, Keaton Jones, Halligan, Nelson, Nate Scherff. HR–East: Beau Bosley. SB–East: Bosley 2, Drent; FD: Solverson. LOB–East 6, Fort Dodge 9.