Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Kade Solverson of Fort Dodge attempts to tag Johnston's Cade Moss on Monday at McNeil Field. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

It’s going to take a lot to stop the Johnston baseball team from winning a 4A state championship.

Fort Dodge learned that the hard way Monday night at Ed McNeil Field.

The top-ranked Dragons throw the ball hard. They hit the ball hard. They make few mistakes.

Last night that added up to a pair of easy wins in a Central Iowa Conference twin bill.

Johnston, now 26-4, won the opener 20-1 in five innings, then took the nightcap, 9-1.

The visitors allowed Fort Dodge just a single hit in the two games — a fourth-inning home run by sophomore Shane Halligan in the opener. It was Halligan’s fifth home run of the season.

“We ran into a buzzsaw, that’s for sure,” said FDSH head coach Blake Utley, whose team fell to 11-18 after its fifth straight loss. “They put a lot of pressure on you. They were definitely the better team.

“I don’t think we have to ‘right the ship’ or anything like that,” Utley added. “They were just the better team. We just need to continue to believe in the process when things don’t go our way.”

Johnston junior Jacob Tobey tossed a no-hitter in the nightcap, although the Dragons did commit three errors behind him.

The Dodgers scored their only run in the bottom of the fifth when Lucas Williamson scampered home on a wild pitch.

Johnston, which won for the 13th straight time, scored in every inning of the two games. The Dragons plated five runs in the first inning of opener to take control early and led 7-0 in the second game before Dodgers would score.

They put up six in the fifth frame of the opener to reach the 20-run mark.

Tobey struck out 10 batters and walked three. He left runners on second and third in the fifth after Williamson scored. The Dragons also threw out a Mason Bockoven at third after he tried to take two bases on wild pick-off attempt at first.

Sean Nussbaum went the first six innings in the opener for Johnston. Ryan Kronlage pitched the seventh.

Utley had planned to pitch Nate Scherff in the opener, but he was still nursing a sore ankle injured last week against Waterloo West. Fort Dodge went through three pitchers in each game.

“Nate practiced on Saturday, but his ankle was still a little sore,” Utley explained. “We made the decision to keep him out. We will need him for the substate tournament, so we decided to rest him.

“It’s time for us to play our game and control what we can,” said Utley. “We’ll come out and compete (tonight), if I know these guys. They will work to get better.”

The Dodgers are at Ankeny High tonight for a pair before traveling to Sioux City East on Friday.