Madi Finch

FORT DODGE — One night after its first double-digit scoring performance in more than a year, the Marshalltown softball team’s offense was handcuffed by top-ranked Fort Dodge.

The Class 5A No. 1 Dodgers limited the Bobcats to a total of just three hits in a pair of run rule-shortened victories, beating Marshalltown 11-0 in five innings and 12-0 in three innings in Wednesday’s CIML Iowa Conference doubleheader at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex.

Fort Dodge senior Loghan Schnetzer homered in each game to become the school’s career leader in round-trippers, tallying 31 to surpass the former mark of 30 held by Mallory Kilian.

The Dodgers (11-2) piled up 18 hits in the doubleheader sweep, eight of them going for extra bases, while handing the Bobcats (0-10) their seventh and eighth run-rule defeats of the season.

Madi Finch had a single in each game of the twinbill to lead Marshalltown, while Erica Johnson had a double in the first game that accounted for the Bobcats’ only other hit of the day.

Johnson was the only Marshalltown player to advance as far as second base.

In the opener, Fort Dodge’s first four batters scored, highlighted by a two-run homer for Schnetzer. Haley Wills capped the Dodgers’ five-run second inning with a two-run blast as well for a 9-0 Fort Dodge lead.

Kailee Pollard went the distance in defeat for the Bobcats, giving up 11 runs on 14 hits with three walks and one strikeout.

Tory Bennett was 3-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and three RBIs to lead Fort Dodge in Game 1. Jalen Adams pitched all five innings for the win, striking out 12.

In the nightcap, Fort Dodge scored six times in the first and second innings against MHS pitchers Avery Mull and Ava Augustine. Schnetzer hit a solo blast in her first at-bat.

The Dodgers sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the second inning of Game 2 and all of them reached base, finally ending the game on a two-out RBI double by Adams.

Mull got the loss for MHS, giving up 11 runs on six hits and two walks. Wills won for Fort Dodge, striking out two.

Marshalltown returns home on Monday night to host Ames for a 5 p.m. doubleheader.