Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Fort Dodge's Will McElroy pitches against Hampton-Dumont on Tuesday at McNeil Field. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

The 2024 season opener for the Fort Dodge baseball team will definitely be one to remember.

The Dodgers walked-off Hampton-Dumont/CAL in the bottom of the 11th inning on Tuesday night, getting a two-out, pinch-hit single from freshman Tru McBride to deny the Bulldogs by a final of 6-5 at McNeil Field.

Fort Dodge was supposed to start the season Monday night with a double header at Des Moines North, but rain pushed those games to Wednesday. Instead, the Dodgers played almost two full games on Tuesday.

McBride sliced a pitch down the right field line to score senior Jace Johnson from second base and give the Dodgers the win.

Hampton-Dumont/CAL (0-2) looked like it was going to get its first win after a home run by Brody Robertson in the top of the 10th, but the Dodgers scored the tying run in the bottom of the frame when the Bulldogs misplayed a fly ball in the infield that allowed Royce Pederson to score from second and tie the game at 5-all.

Fort Dodge actually had a chance to win the game in the seventh, taking a 3-2 lead in the final frame. But three errors in the top of the inning let the Bulldogs take a 4-3 lead.

Jaxson Dencklau pushed things into extra innings in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single, plating Jase Nekvinda to tie the game at 4-4.

Fort Dodge stranded a runner on third in the seventh, and then left the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th.

After two scoreless extra innings, Robertson gave the Bulldogs a short-lived 5-4 lead with his homer in the top of the 10th. The Dodgers tied it in the bottom of the 10th on another two-out single that the Bulldogs after two Bulldog infielders seemed to be in a position to make a catch.

Johnson drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the 11th and was moved to second when Pederson also walked. McBride then sliced the game-winner down the line.

Fort Dodge got a similar clutch hit from Dencklau in the 7th when he bounced over first base and the ball just grazed the chalk in right field to score Nekvinda with the tying run.

The Bulldogs had a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth, but Johnson — a senior who will play baseball at Coe College next year — gave the Dodgers a 3-2 advantage with a towering home run to left-center field.

Fort Dodge committed three different throwing errors in the top of the 7th to let the Bulldogs take a 4-3 advantage.

The Dodgers ended up using four different pitchers. Sophomore Rylan Lara ended up with the win, working the final three frames.

Hampton-Dumont-CAL also used four pitchers, though starter Dawson Wikert worked into the seventh inning.

Fort Dodge started freshman Will McElroy, who went 4.2 innings before giving way to Dencklau. Nekvinda also took the mound before Lara finished.

Senior Karch Smith finished with two hits for the Dodgers, as did Marsh. Johnson scored twice for Fort Dodge.

Both teams struggled to push runners across the plate. The Bulldogs left 10 runners on base and the Dodgers stranded 11, including four at third base. The Dodgers also had a runner thrown out at third.

Hampton-Dumont-CAL also had a runner thrown out at third.

Wednesday’s twinbill with Des Moines North starts at 3:30 p.m. The Dodgers return home next Tuesday against Waterloo East in a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m.

FORT DODGE 6, HAMPTON-DUMONT-CAL 5 (11 innings)

Hampton 001 010 200 10- 5 9 0

Fort Dodge 001 020 100 11 – 6 11 4

Dawson Wikert, Brody Robertson (7), Camden Peil (8), Carson Helmke (10) and Cael Burmester. Will McElroy, Jaxson Dencklau (5), Jase Nekvinda (7), Rylan Lara (8) and Bo Marsh. 2B- FD: Karch Smith, Dalton Eckley. HR – H: Robertson, FD: Jace Johnson. SB- H: Brody Walton, FD: Dencklau, Tanner Peterson, Tru McBride, Nekvinda. S–FD: Marsh, Rylan Kingrey. HBP – H: Jaymes Stevens, Peil; FD: Smith, Eckley. LOB: H-D/C 10, FD 11. T: 3:12.