Mount Vernon baseball headed toward the end of June with an 8-3 win over Cascade on Saturday, June 28, at American Legion Field.

It was hot outside, and the Mustangs are getting hot, too. They were ranked in the Top 16 in 3A by IAbaseball.

“I feel like this is our upward trend,” Mount Vernon Coach Charles Chatman said. “We take our lumps early and figure things out. It can be a scary thing for 3A teams when Mount Vernon is playing good baseball.”

Against the Cougars, Landon Wilson scattered three hits over 5.2 innings. Kellen Haverback and Mikey Ryan each had two hits. Cole Thurn had a big two-run double in the third inning and Ryan had a three-run double in the sixth.

The week started with a 4-1 win at Vinton-Shellsburg. The Mustangs were winning 7-1 when lightning started cracking, reverting the game back an inning. The second game of the doubleheader was cancelled.

That night, AJ McDermott gave up one hit over five innings.

“AJ kept us in the game, and our guys just battled,” Chatman said.

On Wednesday, June 25, Cedar Rapids Xavier nipped Mount Vernon, 2-1 in nine innings. The Saints scored in the bottom of the ninth on a hit by pitch.

The game was moved from Ash Park to Ken Charipar Field. Landon Wilson gave up five hits over five innings.

On Thursday, June 26, Mount Vernon lost 4-3 to No. 10 Benton Community. The Bobcats were leading 3-1 in the top of the fourth in the second game when it was called due to weather.

Another busy week awaits, with Senior Night on Thursday, July 3, against West Delaware at Ash Park. Tuesday, July 1, they were set to play at Central DeWitt, the same team they’ll host in a Class 3A substate opener on July 11.

Mount Vernon (12-11) will have their work cut out for them in 3A Substate 5, which includes No. 3 Marion. But the Mustangs battled them earlier this month in a 6-3 loss.

“We’ve added a lot of quality opponents to the back end of our schedule,” Chatman said. “We want to be ready.”