MASON CITY — The Marshalltown baseball team narrowly missed its chance at Mason City, and then the Riverhawks chased off the Bobcats.

Mason City broke a 1-all tie in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to a 2-1 victory in the first game of Thursday’s Iowa Alliance Conference doubleheader. The second game was all Riverhawks, 12-2 in five innings.

The Bobcats dropped to 1-6 overall, while Mason City improved to 6-0 in the first conference doubleheader of the season for both teams.

“We had opportunities to take the lead and put ourselves in a position to win, but we came up short,” said MHS head coach Colton Hanke.

Mason City took the early lead, 1-0, in the bottom of the first inning, but the Bobcats drew even in the second. Tayven Dutton led off with a single, advanced to third on wild pitches and scored on a groundout by Garrett Thede.

MHS left three more runners stranded in scoring position, while Mason City capitalized on a pair of one-out walks in the sixth. Owen Rickers hit a two-out single that plated the eventual game-winning run.

Zander Stupp pitched well in defeat, allowing four hits and two earned runs on three walks, a hit batsman, a balk and eight strikeouts. Eli Schulz struck out 11 in the win, allowing just three hits and one walk.

Dutton, Thede and Sam Greazel had the Bobcats’ singles.

In the nightcap, MHS fell behind 11-0 before scoring twice in the top of the fourth. Singles by Caleb Kusserow and Dutton set the table for Dale Greene’s two-run double, but the Bobcats couldn’t collect any more clutch hits.

Dutton and Greene had two hits apiece to lead MHS. Dutton took the loss on the mound, allowing 10 runs — six earned — over 2 1/3 innings.

Marshalltown meets Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Monday in their annual Memorial Day game, with an 11 a.m. junior varsity game and varsity to follow in Cedar Rapids.