It’s hard to throw a steak past a hungry wolf. Or in this case — a Bulldog.

The Ottumwa baseball team banged out 39 hits and scored 37 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Marshalltown on Wednesday night, making off with wins of 16-0 and 21-0 in a pair of run rule-shortened games at the MHS diamond.

Ottumwa (13-4) scored in eight of its nine at-bats and at least two runs each time, upping its season scoring average to 10.6 runs per game against a Bobcat squad that had just ended a nine-game losing skid two nights earlier.

Marshalltown (4-11) couldn’t fool the Bulldog bats, however, as the Bobcat pitching staff got knocked around the ballpark for the team’s ninth and 10th mercy-rule losses of the summer.

MHS couldn’t match the offense, either, as the ‘Cats came away with just five hits in the Iowa Alliance Conference twinbill.

In the opening game, Bobcat senior Tayven Dutton surrendered two runs in the top of the first inning but couldn’t get out of the second. He left having allowed three runs with the bases loaded, and Ottumwa greeted reliever Treyton Gilliland with a bases-clearing triple.

The Bulldogs scored eight times in the second inning to take a 10-0 lead before the Bobcats got their first hit. Gilliland reached on an infield hit up the middle in the bottom of the third, but Ottumwa right-hander Dawson Weller stranded him there with three-straight strikeouts.

Weller struck out six and walked one in three innings for the win.

Garrett Thede’s single up the middle in the fourth was the only hit off reliever Nolan Heller, who struck out four over two innings of relief.

Ottumwa finished the opener with 16 hits, including three for extra bases. Christian Allar was 3-for-3 with a run scored, and Cameron Manary was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. The Bulldogs batted 17-for-28 with runners in scoring position, feasting on the opportunities in front of them.

Gilliland pitched three innings of relief, giving up seven runs, and Gavin Freiberg allowed just one run while getting the final three outs.

Thede took the brunt of the beating in the second game, surrendering 12 runs on 13 hits over 1 1/3 innings for the loss. Wyatt Peters got the last eight outs of the 21-0, four-inning nightcap.

“We were able to limit the damage early in both games and get some guys on and in scoring position but we were unable to take advantage of those opportunities,” said MHS head coach Colton Hanke. “Ottumwa hit the ball around and took advantage of their opportunities. Overall, I was pleased with our pitchers keeping it around the zone and our effort tonight.”

Seven of Ottumwa’s 23 hits went for extra bases in support of Matthew Mitchell, who allowed just two hits and two walks over three scoreless innings. He struck out five. Manary allowed one hit and hit a batter in the fourth to finish it out.

The Bobcats got runners into scoring position in the second game, capitalizing on four total walks issued by Ottumwa pitchers, but the key hit never came.

John Schoenfelder started the second inning with a fly ball that was dropped in center field, and Thede followed with a single to right, but both runners were left in scoring position.

The Bobcats loaded the bases in the third with a walk to Sam Greazel, an infield single by Larrs Schoenfelder and a walk to Zander Stupp, but Mitchell got a strikeout and a lineup to escape the jam.

Tayven Dutton singled to start the fourth against Manary and Aiden Holmgren was hit by a pitch, but both runners were left on base.

Marshalltown was 0-for-9 at the plate with runners in scoring position in the second game and 0-for-12 on the night.

Manary finished 4-for-5 with a triple, three runs and three RBIs, while Quinn Larson was 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs. Brayden Larkin went 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs for the Bulldogs, who batted 39-for-66 (.591) for the game and hit .375 as a team so far this season.

Marshalltown is back at home tonight, trying to end an 18-game losing streak against Mason City during the 5 p.m. doubleheader.