-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Drew Callon of Fort Dodge catches a fly ball against Southeast Polk on Monday at Dodgers Stadium

Blake Utley wants his Fort Dodge baseball squad to work their way through the dog days of the season without taking a recent losing streak to heart.

The Dodgers were swept by eighth-ranked (Class 4A) Southeast Polk at McNeil Field on Monday. Scores were 11-5 and 9-2 in favor of the Rams.

Utley knows his team is frustrated, as Fort Dodge (10-19 overall) has dropped six in a row and nine of 11 in a stretch that doesn’t even span two weeks. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost, though.

“The schedule has really taken its toll on us lately, but we have to stick together and continue to believe in each other and the process,” Utley said. “Southeast Polk is a solid ballclub, and they hit the ball hard (yesterday). It was impressive. But they also made the plays on balls hit to them and kept things simple. We complicated matters with our own physical and mental mistakes.

“If you listen to the game, the game will tell you what to do.”

The Rams (23-9) plated seven runs in the first three innings of the opener, but the Dodgers fought back within 7-5. Four errors doomed Fort Dodge in the end, though.

Senior Drew Callon was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of RBI.

solid ballclub, and they hit the ball hard (yesterday). It was impressive. But they also made the plays on balls hit to them and kept things simple. We complicated matters with our own physical and mental mistakes.

“If you listen to the game, the game will tell you what to do.”

The Rams (23-9) plated seven runs in the first three innings of the opener, but the Dodgers fought back within 7-5. Four errors doomed Fort Dodge in the end, though.

Senior Drew Callon was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of RBI.

Southeast Polk erased an early 1-0 deficit with two runs in the third and three more in the fourth of the nightcap. Senior Drake Miller was 2-for-2 with a home run and a pair of runs scored, while junior Shane Halligan drove in the other FDSH run.

“Drake hit the ball hard, and Drew had a nice first game at the plate,” Utley said. “We have a stretch coming up here where we can catch our second wind a little, but we have to get our confidence back. This team still hasn’t scratched the surface on its potential, and I believe in them.

“I love our guys, and I love being at the ballpark every day with them.”

The Dodgers return to action at West Des Moines Valley on Tuesday.

SOUTHEAST POLK 11,

FORT DODGE 5

SE Polk 241 002 2 — 11 12 1

Fort Dodge 004 100 0 — 5 8 4

WP–Jake Benson (7 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). LP–Drake Miller (5.2 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). 2B–FD: Drew Callon 2; SEP: Adam Schneider 3. 3B–SEP: Evan Martin. HR–SEP: Evan Martin.

SOUTHEAST POLK 9,

FORT DODGE 2

SE Polk 002 310 3 — 9 13 0

Fort Dodge 100 001 0 — 2 6 1

WP–Mason Porepp (7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). LP–Dylan Zimmermann (4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K). 2B–SEP: Evan Martin, Adam Schneider. 3B–SEP: Carter Olesen. HR–FD: Drake Miller.