—Photo by Brandy Mills-Carver Fort Dodge’s Tru McBride celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run against Algona on Friday at Ed McNeil Field.

It’s still very early, but Fort Dodge head coach Blake Utley likes what he sees from his Dodger baseball team so far.

Less than 48 hours after a road sweep of West Des Moines Dowling to open the season, Fort Dodge stayed locked in Friday for its home opener at McNeil Field. The Dodgers took care of Algona with a pair of mercy-rule victories, winning 11-1 in five innings and 15-0 in four.

Every player on the roster saw action yesterday evening for Utley’s squad, which now enters the long Memorial Day weekend 4-0 in preparation for an early showdown with sixth-ranked (Class 4A) Indianola on Monday. The Dodgers had 16 hits, didn’t commit an error, and pitched almost flawlessly against a Bulldog team that went 23-9 last season and had started this year 2-1.

“It’s just a fun group to be around — from a baseball perspective especially,” Utley said. “They have a really good mindset and approach to the game, given a lot of them have played so much through the years. It’s good to see their mentality expanding and anticipating more and more on the field at this level. They’ve taken ownership over being prepared, (absorbing) the data and tendencies we’ve thrown at them and building from that.

“I said before the season started that a lot of them think and act like seniors, even though they’re not yet. We’ll need that if we want to reach the next level as the year progresses.”

Sophomore Reggie Pederson fired a one-hitter in the opener with five strikeouts. Junior Tru McBride homered again, and classmate Kolton Schiltz went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and a pair of doubles.

Junior Bo Marsh was 3-for-3 with three RBI. Juniors Cal Pederson and Will McElroy both contributed two hits and two runs, with Pederson also stealing three bases.

Senior Aiden Engel broke up Reggie Pederson’s perfect-game bid with a solo home run in the top of the fifth for Algona.

The nightcap was more of the same. Fort Dodge was patient — walking nine times after taking nine free passes in the Dowling twinbill — and senior Jaxson Dencklau went 2-for-2 with two runs. Junior Davis Underberg drove in a pair, as did junior Tanner Peterson.

A highlight for the dugout was a late pinch-hit, two-run single by junior reserve Keaton Hawkins in his first-ever varsity at-bat.

“Keaton gets a hit and our starters are going crazy celebrating it,” Utley said. “That’s what you love to see. Guys supporting each other. The energy, competitiveness and chemistry has been outstanding.”

Sophomore Cael Adams fired a two-hit shutout with four strikeouts on the mound. Through four games, FDSH pitchers have combined for an 0.61 earned run average. Opponents are batting only .136 against them thus far.

“The pitchers have done a really nice job commanding the zone and giving us quality innings,” Utley said. “Offensively we’ve had our moments, but we’ve definitely had competitive at-bats and we’ve kept putting pressure on the defense. That’s what good teams do.

“We just have to keep finding that balance between having confidence and still feeling like we have something to prove. Because we do. This next week brings some big challenges, so we’ll see how we handle it.”

The single varsity contest with Indianola is at McNeil Field on Monday at 5 p.m. After facing Des Moines North for a home twinbill on Tuesday, the Dodgers dive back into the deep end with a Friday doubleheader at No. 2 Waukee.

FORT DODGE 11, ALGONA 1 (5)

Algona 000 01 — 1 1 2

Fort Dodge 313 4x — 11 10 0

WP–Reggie Pederson (5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). 2B–FD: Kolton Schiltz 2, Will McElroy. HR–FD: Tru McBride; A: Aiden Engel. SB–FD: Cal Pederson 3, Caiden Fraher, Hayden Porter.

FORT DODGE 15, ALGONA 0 (4)

Algona 000 0 — 0 2 4

Fort Dodge 490 2 — 15 8 0

WP–Cael Adams (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K). 2B–FD: Davis Underberg, Reggie Pederson. SB–FD: Cal Pederson 2, Kolton Schiltz, Tru McBride.