DES MOINES — Untimely errors and a lack of offense erased everything the Marshalltown pitching staff accomplished as the Bobcat baseball team started 0-2 after getting swept by Des Moines Roosevelt on Thursday by scores of 4-2 and 2-0.

Marshalltown totaled just six hits in the doubleheader and committed three errors in each game of the twinbill, losing a pair of two-run games two days after the originally scheduled start of the season. The Bobcats are slated to make up Tuesday’s opener at home against Newton at 7 p.m. tonight at the MHS diamond.

“It seems like it took a long time to get the season started and we didn’t have much luck today at Roosevelt,” said MHS head coach Steve Hanson. “Roosevelt has a nice team. We were outplayed in every phase. Roosevelt three more strikes, got more hits and made more plays than we did in both games.

“There were some bright spots, but those were overshadowed by some significant deficiencies.”

In the opening game of the season for Marshalltown, the Bobcats surrendered three unearned runs behind starting pitcher Tate Kuehner and reliever Joseph Harris. MHS held a shortlived lead, 2-1, after scoring twice in the top of the sixth inning, but Roosevelt (3-0) answered with three runs in the home half to overtake Marshalltown for the remainder of the game.

Kuehner allowed three hits and one unearned run in four innings of work, surrendering two walks against nine strikeouts. He handed off to Harris for the final two innings of work, but the Roughriders had an answer for Marshalltown’s only offensive uprising of the day.

Dylan Eygabroad reached on an error to start the top of the sixth and Wade Canaday walked to set the table, and Harris loaded the bases with his infield single. A wild pitch plated the tying run before Dru Dobbins made it 2-1 Bobcats with his sacrifice fly to left.

Roosevelt countered with three runs — only one earned — against Harris in the bottom of the sixth. An error, a double and dropped third strike allowed the Roughriders to start their rallying cry, and an RBI single by No. 9 hitter Mason Kochel was the final touch.

Kuehner, Canaday and Will Van Buren each recorded a double while Harris and Dobbins had singles in the loss for Marshalltown, which endured 11 strikeouts against Roosevelt’s Alec Nigut.

The Bobcats’ slow start offensive got even worse in the second game, as Will Armstrong held MHS without a hit until Eygabroad got a one-out single in the fourth. He advanced all the way to third before a double play behind him ended the threat.

Canaday was the hard-luck loser on this occasion, allowing three hits and two runs — one earned — in four innings. He walked five but struck out six. Blake Trowbridge pitched two scoreless innings of relief for MHS (0-2), which will try to make up its home opener tonight against Newton.

“We gave away three runs in the first game and another in the second, but we also struck out 17 times in the doubleheader,” noted Hanson. “Anyway you cut it, when we give extra outs, free passes and ultimately runs, it’s going to be tough for us to win games. Our margin for error is pretty slim and we have to be more efficient in each phase if we expect to have success.”

At Des Moines

Game One

Des Moines Roosevelt 4, Marshalltown 2

MHS 000 002 0 — 2 5 3

DMR 010 003 X — 4 5 1

Tate Kuehner, Joseph Harris (5) and Will Van Buren; Alec Nigut and Mason Kochel. W–Nigut. L–Kuehner (0-1). 2B–MHS: Kuehner, Wade Canaday, Van Buren, Dru Dobbins; DMR: Alex Pendergast, Gabe Followell. LOB–MHS 5, DMR 6.

Game Two

Des Moines Roosevelt 2, Marshalltown 0

MHS 000 000 0 — 0 1 3

DMR 101 000 X — 2 3 0

Canaday, Blake Trowbrige (5) and Van Buren; Will Armstrong and Kochel. W–Armstrong. L–Canaday (0-1). 2B–DMR: Nigut, Sam Niccolino. LOB–MHS 1, DMR 6.