DES MOINES — The Fort Dodge baseball squad dug deep to erase a late deficit and defeat Des Moines East in extra innings on Friday to start a doubleheader.

All of that momentum was lost in the nightcap, though, as the Dodgers dropped a frustrating 2-1 decision.

Head coach Blake Utley’s squad trailed 3-1 heading into the sixth inning in the opener. Single runs in the sixth and seventh forced extra innings, and FDSH (4-4 overall) exploded with five in the eighth en route to an 8-4 victory.

Senior Nick Bice had three hits and scored twice, while classmate Mason Bockoven was 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and a pair of RBI.

Nelson Cone delivered a clutch two-run single during the eighth-inning surge. His twin brother, Easton, worked three innings of relief with four strikeouts to pick up the victory on the mound. Cone escaped a second-and-third, one-out jam in the bottom of the seventh unscathed.

Brycen Bell and Sawyer Springer contributed two hits each.

“Carson Peterson started the rally in the seventh (to help tie the score). Mason had some big hits, and so did Nick. We had really sputtered through those first five innings, so it was great to see us come alive late.”

Bockoven was the tough-luck loser in the second contest, working six innings and allowing just two earned runs.

“We basically handed them their first run,” Utley said. “They put some balls in play, and we made a few mistakes. We had plenty of opportunities, but as the game wore on, it felt like we were trying to do more than we had to do. I really thought we were going to take off after coming back (in game one).

“It’s not an excuse. They beat us. But I have a feeling we’ll look back at the end of the year and count this loss as one that got away. We’ve seen much stronger and faster pitching, and I think it threw us off a little.”

Junior Tyler Schreier had two hits, with Bockoven driving him in for the lone Dodger run in the fifth.

Fort Dodge is back in action on Monday at home against Des Moines Roosevelt, beginning at 5 p.m. The Dodgers’ Senior Night will be Thursday against Des Moines North.

FORT DODGE 8, DM EAST 4 (8)

Fort Dodge 100 001 15 — 8 13 1

DM East 100 020 00 — 4 6 1

WP–Easton Cone (3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K). 2B–FD: Nick Bice. HR–FD: Mason Bockoven.

DM EAST 2, FORT DODGE 1

Fort Dodge 000 010 0 — 1 4 0

DM East 100 100 x — 2 4 0

LP–Mason Bockoven (6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). 2B–FD: Nick Bice.