Southeast Polk’s offense was just too strong to be slowed, and two big, crooked numbers for the fifth-ranked Rams downed the Bobcats in a 10-0, five-inning loss at Southeast Polk High School in a Class 4A Substate 5 first-round game.

The Rams (27-14) will receive a second-round bye and advance to the substate final on Wednesday, July 12. Marshalltown ends the summer with a 6-30 record.

Southeast Polk plated four runs in the second and five in the fourth to expedite the ending on Friday night.

“At times this season, we’ve done a good job of getting those kinds of things stopped,” said interim head coach Allen Mann said. “But they were barreling it up and hitting the ball really, really hard. Not so much on us as it was them hitting it well.”

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Marshalltown senior Keiler Blue, left, has Southeast Polk’s Ean McDaniel in a pickle prior to tagging him out in the first inning of Friday’s Class 4A Substate 5 baseball game in Pleasant Hill.

Mann did see a missed opportunity in the first inning when Nick Rebik stroked a triple to deep center but wasn’t able to advance home.

That was one of only two Bobcats in scoring position on Friday, held to three hits and three walks by Rams starter Carson Medina, who also struck out five.

“Getting one or two across there early might have tightened them up a bit, make them a little more timid,” Mann said. “They were able to get it stopped though, and that’s just how the story of tonight went.”

Mann didn’t want the Rams to get too timed up to Bobcat pitching, cycling through Seth Smith, Zander Stupp and Keiler Blue across the five innings.

Smith and Stupp both had solid first innings on the bump but the bottom half of the Rams order was consistently dangerous, led by Landen Hamilton’s bases-loaded triple in the second that contributed to a 2-for-2, 4 RBI day for the Southeast Polk senior.

“Smitty kept them off-balance early and Stupp did a bit as well but they’re good, credit to them,” Mann said.

The six wins for Marshalltown improves on last year’s three-win total, and the Bobcats bid farewell to seniors Keiler Blue, Seth Smith and Nick Rebik.

Rebik was a bit of a surprise start on Friday in his first action since injuring his knee on June 22 at Ames.

Mann said that Rebik was told by his doctor that the injury was not as severe as previously thought, which left it up to Rebik to decide whether he’d play his final game as a Bobcat tonight.

“He said he wanted to give it a go,” Mann said. “And I was so proud of his effort.

“Every one of the seniors exceeded my expectations this season. Always willing to come to practice, lifting sessions, games, and not just working at it but helping the other guys as well. And they’re always going to be a part of our program.”

Those seniors were crucial in Mann’s primary mission as interim head coach — provide some stability to a program that has had turnover in the coaching position and clear the runway for Colton Hanke, who will be the team’s head coach next summer.

“We wanted some accountability, we wanted to help kids become better baseball players,” Mann said. “And I think we were able to accomplish that. I’m happy for what Coach Hanke has in store next year. … He understands what it takes to be successful in our community.”

While he was meant to be a short-term solution, the 2009 MHS grad hopes he can provide something to Hanke’s program, or Bobcat baseball at large, in the long-term.

“I’ve been away from baseball for three years, and this brought back a very strong and heavy itch,” Mann said. “I definitely want to continue to be involved in Bobcat baseball. In what capacity? I don’t know. That’s conversations I’ll have with Coach Hanke and other individuals around the community. But I want to try and get our whole program going, from youth baseball all the way to the high school level.”