MARSHALLTOWN – Marshalltown senior Zander Stupp pitched a three-hitter and drove in two runs with a two-out single in the sixth inning to lead the Bobcat baseball team to a 5-1 win over North Tama on Friday, May 23, at the MHS diamond.

Stupp needed just 83 pitches to get through the complete-game performance, striking out four while walking none. He gave up three singles and one unearned run to improve to 2-0 this season.

North Tama (1-1) struck first, scoring Kolt Knaack on Chaz Hall’s sacrifice fly in the top of the second inning, but the Redhawks only got two more runners on base the rest of the way. Stupp and his defense retired the last 13 North Tama batters.

Marshalltown (3-0) drew even on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third, as Sam Greazel got on with a one-out single and stole second before Aiden Holmgren singled through the right side to drive him home.

The Bobcats took the lead for good when Garrett Thede reached on a two-out walk in the fourth and came all the way around to score on Greazel’s double to the left-field fence, beating a close play at the plate.

MHS tacked on an insurance run in the fifth when Holmgren walked, stole second and scored on a misplayed pop-up off the bat of Larrs Schoenfelder.

Stupp’s two-out, bases-loaded single drove in Greazel and Tayven Dutton, who were walked by North Tama starting pitcher Kayler Morris. Hall came on in relief but hit Holmgren to load the bases before Stupp flared a single to left.

Morris pitched 5 2/3 innings in the loss, allowing four hits and five runs — four earned — with six walks, two hit batsmen and five strikeouts.

Stupp and Greazel had two hits apiece and Holmgren had the other for Marshalltown, which opened 3-0 for the first time since 2018.