FORTVILLE — With 44 hits accumulated and 46 runs scored in four games prior to its Hoosier Heritage Conference opener against Delta on Tuesday night, the Mt. Vernon baseball team kept the running total rolling.
Down 4-0 initially, the host Marauders stayed locked in and charged back with back-to-back six-run innings to win in five complete frames by run-rule 14-4.
What’s the secret to their prolific offense, which is hitting. 385 combined to date with 58 runs scored and 21 extra-base hits?
An Easton hand eye coordination bat, no thicker than a broomstick, and a bucket of yellow foam balls, roughly the circumference of a bouncy ball.
“I brought these little balls this year with this little bat, and everybody has just been hitting them before games, so when you get in a game, the ball just looks like a beach ball,” Mt. Vernon senior catcher Hunter Dobbins explained. “I’ve been using them for a long time, so I figured why not share it with my teammates? As you can see, we’re hitting it really well.”
While an mild understatement by the state’s seventh-ranked high school prospect, according to Prep Baseball Report Indiana, Dobbins’ assessment isn’t too far fetched.
Against Delta, the Marauders (4-1, 1-0 HHC) posted seven hits, drew nine walks and connected for a pair of doubles and a triple to win their second straight after placing third at this past weekend’s Noblesville Invitational.
On Monday, the Marauders beat Franklin Central, 10-3, in their home opener behind 11 hits, two doubles, four triples and Dobbins’ second home run in as many games.
“It’s not just Hunter. It’s Joel Walton. It’s Jake Stank. It’s AJ Swingle. AJ had a great night tonight. It’s a ton of guys just coming to the plate ready to swing it,” Mt. Vernon head coach Brad King said. “We’re averaging 11 runs a game right now with 58 runs. That’s a lot of pressure on the other team.”
The Marauders felt the sting early as Delta (0-3, 0-3 HHC), which was swept by conference foe Yorktown last week during their two-game series, scored one run in the top of the first and three more in the second to go up 4-0.
Two errors by Mt. Vernon in the second led to a run scored on a balk and a two-run double by Ben Morris, but Marauders’ starter Eli Clotfelter settled in after striking out Logan Drown to leave a runner stranded to end the inning.
Coltfelter was charged with one earned run to secure the complete-game victory, striking out 10 over 5.0 innings despite some location issues and a pair of hit batters in the first two innings.
“The first couple of innings he wasn’t hitting his spots,” King said. “Eli can be a really good pitcher and innings three through five today he was dialed in. He’s our No. 1 and we got to have him out there, but we can’t start slow with him at the mound and at the plate as well. We got to have everything rolling and let him be effective.”
Dobbins and Clotfelter adjusted in the top of third and the Marauders’ ace responded by retiring nine straight, including seven by strikeout.
“He struggled a little bit. He couldn’t locate his curve ball really well, so we switched it up, and he started hitting his spots better,” said Dobbins, a Ball State recruit. “It’s going to happen. It’s baseball. You’re going to miss your spots, but it was good to see him dial it in and really throw strikes.”
The Marauders lineup backed up Clotfelter with a six-run bottom of the fourth after chipping away at Delta’s lead with a two-run second with Bryce Miller scoring on a passed ball and Swingle coming home on a Walton sacrifice fly to left field.
In the fourth, the Eagles posted a pair of errors, setting up a bases-loaded, two-run double by Payton Bovard, and RBI ground out by Carson Augustinovicz and a two-run single by Stank.
Bovard went 1-for-1 with two walks, Stank was 1-for-3 with two RBI and Swingle drove in three runs, finishing 3-for-4 with a double and a triple.
“When we had the opportunity to play in the Noblesville Invitational (on Friday and Saturday), we knew that we were going to see good competition. We also knew we had to throw a lot of arms, and we got exactly what we expected,” King said.
“To walk out of there 2-1, finishing third was a big confidence boost for us. Obviously, you also want to start off strong in conference.”
Dobbins crushed a home run against Franklin during their third-place game at the Noblesville Invitational on Saturday. The Marauders posted 14 hits, three doubles and Dobbins’ first bomb to win their consolation game, 16-6, in five innings.
Tuesday’s contest marked Mt. Vernon’s fifth game in five days with the conclusion of the HHC series set for today at Delta before the Marauders Invitational on Saturday for a total of nine games in nine days.
“Five in five, then six in six and we have our invitational this weekend. It’s fun. The things is when you play a lot of games you don’t get that practice time to work on some things, but the way it is right now and how we’re swinging the bat, I’d prefer to just keep playing,” King said. “I don’t want to take any momentum away.”
Eli Bridenthal went 1-for-3 for the Marauders, while Dobbins was 2-for-2 with a walk, and RBI single in the fifth and an intentional walk in the fourth.
Dobbins is hitting .923 (12-for-13) with 11 RBI on the season, four doubles, a triple, two home runs and Major League scouts keeping a watchful on his progress.
“The way he’s seeing the ball right now, it’s unworldly. It’s just amazing what he’s doing at the plate, and the thing is he’s not chasing. He has people trying to pitch around him, and he’s taking walks,” King said. “He’s on fire. It’s incredible.”
The Marauders are following suit after going 13-10 in 2018-19 and 8-6 in the HHC for fifth in the standings.
“Starting out in conference 1-0 is big. Obviously, our goal is to win a conference. We fell behind a little bit today, but the guys just kept battling and going to the plate with a plan, and we came through,” King said.
