Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Cael Adams of Fort Dodge dives for a line drive against Dowling on Wednesday at McNeil Field. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

When the Fort Dodge baseball team got out of its own way on Wednesday, the Dodgers proved they were more than capable of being right there with traditional CIML power West Des Moines Dowling.

A spirited rally in the opener gave head coach Blake Utley’s squad a dramatic 9-8 victory over the Maroons at McNeil Field in FDSH’s home opener on a chilly, overcast evening inside Dodger Stadium. Dowling returned the favor in the nightcap for an 11-4 win to secure a split.

Fort Dodge (2-1 overall) erased a 6-1 deficit in game one by plating four runs in the fifth inning and three more in the seventh to walk off the dramatic triumph. Trailing 8-6 and down to their final three outs, the patient Dodgers drew five walks in the final frame to come back and ultimately prevail when junior Jaxson Dencklau scrambled home on a wild pitch. Dencklau was mobbed by his teammates after sliding across the plate.

Sophomore Kolton Schiltz, sophomore Will McElroy, Dencklau and sophomore Bo Marsh all reached via bases on ball, with Marsh’s forcing in a run. Senior leadoff hitter Rylan Kingrey then did the same to tie the score before Dencklau raced in with freshman Reggie Pederson at bat.

Kingrey and Schiltz homered, with Kingrey also plating a pair on a two-run double in the fifth after Marsh and Cal Pederson — who wound up as the winning pitcher after retiring the Maroons in order during the top of the seventh — singled to spark a game-tying rally from trailing 6-2.

Fort Dodge was tenacious and resilient when it had to be, but the Dodgers also struggled with its control on the mound. FDSH starting pitchers walked a combined nine batters and hit four more in only 4.1 innings of work. The defense was shaky at times — committing seven errors — and Dowling pitchers struck out a combined 22 in the twinbill.

“I think (assistant) Coach (Rick) Pederson said it best: if you would’ve told us back in February we’d be 2-1 in our first week, we would have taken it,” Utley said. “But we’re upset we’re not walking out of the stadium 3-0, so that also shows where we could be if we clean some things up.

“The fight we showed in coming back and winning Game 1 is notable. And we had plenty of positives, so I don’t want to dwell too much on what we didn’t do. But we have to be better about throwing strikes, consistently executing and not beating ourselves. We dug ourselves a huge hole and got out of it (in the opener), but did the same (in the second contest) and that can’t become a trend — especially when it’s avoidable.”

The Maroons (2-1), last year’s Class 4A state runner-up, used a seven-run third inning to steady the ship in the nightcap. Again, much of the Dowling burst was aided by Dodger pitchers missing the zone; there were two walks and three hit batters in the frame, setting up a bases-clearing three-run double by Carter Nicholson.

McBride had an RBI single in the first, and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth. Fort Dodge scored three times in that inning to chip away at the seven-run deficit, but the Dodgers also had a runner thrown out at home on a wild pitch and stranded another runner at third.

“Rylan and Kolton had some solid at-bats. Jaxson Dencklau did some nice things and was impressive when he got his opportunity at short(stop). Will McElroy gave us some good innings (pitching). A lot of positives, but a lot of work to do in making sure we’re taking care of all the little things that add up.”

Fort Dodge is now off until Tuesday, when the Dodgers visit Des Moines North.

FORT DODGE 9, DOWLING 8

Dowling 114 002 0 — 8 8 2

Fort Dodge 100 140 3 — 9 8 3

WP–Cal Pederson. LP–T.Wilson. 2B–FD: Rylan Kingrey; D: DePhillips, J. Nahas. HR–FD: Kingrey, Kolton Schiltz; D: B. Moulton. SB–FD: Tru McBride.

DOWLING 11, FORT DODGE 4

Dowling 017 001 2 — 11 7 1

Fort Dodge 100 030 0 — 4 5 4

WP–J. Hulten. LP–Tru McBride. 2B–FD: Jaxson Dencklau, Cal Pederson; D: J. Barrett, W. Kelly, C. Nicholson.