The Mount Vernon High School baseball team jumped to an early lead and then answered every Oak Harbor challenge to hand the Wildcats a 10-4 loss in Oak Harbor’s season and home opener Thursday, March 19.

The Bulldogs (1-1) raced to 4-0 and 6-2 leads. Oak Harbor twice cut the gap to two, but Mount Vernon countered each time, including scoring four runs in the seventh to put the game away.

Both teams recorded seven hits, but the Bulldogs took advantage of Oak Harbor’s “generosity.” The Wildcats aided the Mount Vernon attack by surrendering five walks, hitting two batters and committing four errors. Only two of the ‘Dogs runs were earned.

In return, the Wildcats received only one walk, two hit batters and one error from MV.

Mount Vernon scored first on a double and error in the second inning.

In the third, the Bulldogs scored three two-out runs with the help of a walk, error and two hits.

Oak Harbor scored its first runs of the season with a pair in the bottom of the third inning. The Wildcats started the frame with four consecutive singles from C.J. Meders, Tyler Snavely, Preston Rankin and Kevyn Johnson. The latter two drove in runs.

Oak Harbor had a chance to score more but left the bases loaded.

Two walks came around to score for Mount Vernon in the top of the fourth inning, and the Bulldogs led 6-2.

Oak Harbor made it 6-4 with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

In the fourth, Oak Harbor put two on with no outs but was hurt when the lead runner was picked off. The second runner, Meders, who walked, eventually scored after back-to-back singles by Rankin and Johnson.

In the fifth, Brent Mertins led off with a walk, stole second and moved to third and home on a pair of fly balls to right field, the RBI going to Trent Benson.

Mount Vernon made sure Oak Harbor didn’t come all the way back by scoring four runs in the seventh.

Johnson finished 2-for-4 with two RBI for Oak Harbor. Rankin was 2-for-3, and Benson, Meders and Snavely all had singles.

Starter Danny Wolfe took the loss; Snavely took over on the mound in the middle of the fourth inning.

Oak Harbor (0-1) hosts Mariner (0-2) at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 24.

(Oak Harbor’s Danny Wolfe starts out the game with a strikeout. Photo by Jim Waller.)