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Fort Dodge sweeps at Des Moines East

DES MOINES — The Fort Dodge baseball team wasted no time getting back on track against Des Moines East in an Iowa Alliance Conference crossover doubleheader here on Wednesday.

The Dodgers (8-5 overall) snapped a recent five-game skid by routing the Scarlets twice. Scores were 11-0 and 12-0, with both contests ending after five innings via the mercy rule.

“Our hitters were ready to go,” FDSH head coach Blake Utley said. “I think that was our biggest takeaway…we got the bats going right away, with (leadoff hitter) Jase Nekvinda setting the tone with some loud contact out of the gate.

“Up and down the lineup, the guys produced and got some confidence back in their approach.”

Junior Jace Johnson went 4-for-4 in the opener with two runs scored and three RBI. Senior Dalton Rosalez, junior Grant Williams and sophomore Royce Pederson all drove in a pair.

Junior Corbin Cooper doubled twice. The Dodgers plated eight runs in the first inning and never looked back.

That was more than enough support for sophomore Landen Grandors, who tossed four innings of shutout ball with four strikeouts. The Scarlets managed just one hit.

Fort Dodge exploded for eight runs in the third inning of the nightcap. Nekvinda went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Rosalez was 2-for-3 with three driven in thanks to a double and a triple.

Cooper homered and scored three times. Juniors Karch Smith and Ty Adams both had two hits.

“Jace and Corbin had really nice nights at the plate, but we really got something from everyone,” Utley said. “We just put together a lot of quality at-bats.”

Nekvinda worked 3.1 innings on the mound, striking out three.

“Our pitchers got ahead in the count and showed a lot of confidence,” Utley said. “They were able to work quickly and pitch with big leads. It always helps to have those explosive innings early.

“We’re still a work in progress, of course, but it was nice to experience some success again and have fun doing it.”

East is now 1-13.

The Dodgers are back in action on Friday, taking on both Sioux City East and West in Sioux City.

FORT DODGE 11, DM EAST 0 (5)

Fort Dodge 801 20 — 11 11 1

DM East 000 00 — 0 1 2

WP–Landen Grandors (4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K). 2B–FD: Corbin Cooper 2, Royce Pederson. SB–FD: Dalton Rosalez, Jace Johnson.

FORT DODGE 12, DM EAST 0 (5)

Fort Dodge 018 21 — 12 13 0

DM East 000 00 — 0 3 0

WP–Jase Nekvinda (3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K). 2B–FD: Dalton Rosalez. 3B–FD: Dalton Rosalez. HR–FD: Corbin Cooper. SB–FD: Jase Nekvinda, Karch Smith.

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