The Warriors (13-12) were in control of their game with Marshalltown (5-20) from the first inning and scored a comfortable 10-0 win to end the Bobcats’ season in Class 4A Substate 2 quarterfinals.

The Bobcats felt they played well defensively, playing error-free ball and keeping extra-base hits to a minimum.

But MHS head coach Derek Wrage said the Bobcats gave up too many walks to stand a chance against a team as strong as the Warriors.

“Too many freebies,” Wrage said. “No team is good enough to overcome the amount of walks we had tonight, I mean, especially when you play somebody like Waukee.”

T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING - Marshalltown’s Bennett Hageman puts the ball in play and hustles down the line during Friday’s Class 4A first-round substate baseball game in Waukee.

The two innings went well from a Marshalltown point of view. The Bobcats held Waukee to one run and despite not getting hits, they were swinging and making Waukee starter (and Iowa baseball commit) Jackson Payne work for his outs. The Bobcats held Waukee to one run in the third inning despite the Warriors loading the bases with one out. Wrage praised senior starter Bennett Hageman for his ability to keep Marshalltown close, not just in the Waukee game but over the course of the season.

Junior third baseman Ethan Wertzberger got the first hit of the night for Marshalltown, cracking a double into the outfield and putting himself in a scoring position. After advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior Kabba Pins, the Bobcats were unable to break through and score Wertzberger. It would turn out to be the team’s best chance of the game to score a run.

The fourth inning brought two more Waukee runs to push the lead to 4-0, which spelled an end for Hageman’s night. Hageman gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits and seven walks.

Junior Tyler Dunham took over in the fifth inning and Waukee added three runs (two earned). It was Dunham’s only inning on the mound.

In the top of the sixth senior Justice Richardson had a leadoff single — Marshalltown’s second and last hit of the game — and after advancing on a wild pitch, he was on second base with one out. Junior Patrick Landeros walked to give the Bobcats two men on base, but again Payne was up to the challenge.

Landeros, Marshalltown’s leader in batting average, said Payne’s fastball was difficult to handle.

“He was just gassing us up,” Landeros said. “Our timing was a little off. We tried to get ready for it — we were hitting well this week against a former teammate. We were expecting it, but he caught us by surprise sometimes.”

Jacob Van Pelt was on the mound in the sixth inning, but Waukee took two walks with the bases loaded to end the game in six innings. Van Pelt gave up three earned runs on one hit and five walks. Waukee had nine hits for their 10 runs.

The Warriors move on to face the winner of Mason City and West Des Moines Valley in the Substate 2 finals July 22. For Marshalltown, the first season of Wrage’s tenure ends with disappointment but also pride at the improvement the team made over the shortened season.

“It just shows how the kids showed up and worked every day,” Wrage said. “They kept coming to work, kept trusting what we were trying to teach them and we saw progress. I think we’re in a lot better place than we were June 15 so that’s really all you can ask for.”