Mount Vernon baseball enjoyed a midweek upset, topping Class 3A No. 4 Western Dubuque, 6-5, on Wednesday, June 19, at Mount Mercy.
“It was a good win,” Mount Vernon Coach Charles Chatman said. “The boys did a good job to hang in there.”
The week also included a WaMaC sweep of Vinton-Shellsburg, 11-1, 13-6, on Monday, June 17, at Ash Park, and two losses to Benton Community, 2-1 and 7-4, on Thursday, June 20, in Van Horne.
In the win over the Bobcats, the Mustangs scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Coming up with RBIs were Cole Thurn, Garet Swartzendruber, and Tait Rentschler. Mile Francois hit a triple.
Sophomore Landon Wilson got the pitching win.
“Our sophomore lefty got his first varsity win,” Chatman said. “Our football guy, Ethan Wood, did a real good job of getting the game started. Landon threw the next four (innings). Kellen Haverback closed it out.”
It was a prove-it win against the team that beat the Mustangs in the regional final last season.
“We have the talent to compete with anybody,” Chatman said. “If we can get everybody on the same page, we can play some competitive baseball games.”
In the sweep of the Vikings, Mount Vernon piled up 21 hits across two games. Tait Rentschler led the offense with four hits.
Jase Jaspers and AJ McDermott picked up wins on the mound.
In the losses to the Bobcats, the Mustangs were a little shorthanded as the grind of the season got the best of them.
Sophomore Cael Foreman took the tough pitching loss in the opener, striking out five. Sophomore Camden Merino led the offense with two hits.
The Mustangs scored three runs in the top of the seventh in the nightcap, but it wasn’t enough. Wood led the offense with two doubles and two RBIs.
Mount Vernon is 12-12 overall, and 7-11 in the WaMaC East, tied for fourth place.