Iron Mountain’s Jake Powell (4) loads up his swing on Tuesday against the Braves in Gladstone. (Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press photo)

GLADSTONE — For the last half decade, Gladstone and Iron Mountain have scheduled a doubleheader against each other only for Mother Nature to cruelly have other plans.

Until Tuesday.

With temperatures in the low 50s and snow nowhere to be seen, the Braves and Mountaineers played a doubleheader in early April. The pair of contests saw Gladstone walk away with a pair of wins at Don Olsen Field.

“I’m so happy for the guys being able to get some experience,” Braves’ first-year head coach Tyler Swanson said. “We got a ton of guys on the mound to get some game experience before we play some probably more competitive games. It doesn’t matter what the score is in these games. For both of us to get out here right now with no snow on the field, and (the weather) was halfway decent is a win in my book.”

Game 1

The Braves controlled momentum of the opener while down to their final out and the bases loaded in the first inning. Gavin Frossard belted a fly ball which smacked the base of the fence in left field, scoring all three runners with a bases clearing double for a 3-1 lead.

The Mountaineers climbed back to within one run midway through two. Then the Braves proved Robert Plant’s lyrics right: If it keeps on rainin’, levee’s goin’ to break.

In this specific scenario, the Braves saw their first six batters reach base to start the second inning to grow the lead to 6-2. IM got an out, but it came as an RBI sacrifice fly from Frossard.

Gladstone didn’t ease up as its next eight batters reached base before Frossard hit into a fielder’s choice for the inning’s second out and a 15-2 lead.

Rex Kelly and Trevor Thorban belted RBI singles before Austin Pepin, in his third at bat of the inning, popped out for the final out as the Braves held a decisive 17-2 lead.

“Gladstone can hit the ball,” Iron Mountain coach Jeff McLean said. “They have tons of arms, so it’s something to learn for districts.

“I’m sure that’s a team we’ll see down the road again.”

Cooper Sanville finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and scored twice while tossing a perfect inning of relief. Frossard totaled five RBI and scored once.

Kelly and Thorban added two hits and drove in two runs each. Nate Young finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and scored three times while allowing two earned runs off three hits with two walks and a strikeout in two innings of action on the mound. Casey Alworden finished 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in a run. John Soderman scored three times and drove in a run.

Game 2

While the Braves didn’t boast the larger than life inning similar to that in game one, they did keep the Mountaineers in a constant state of frustration in the batters box.

Pepin, Isaac Ketchum, Frossard and Thorban combined to hurl four hitless innings, walking two batters and fanning five in the process.

Soderman assumed pitching responsibilities in the fifth and needed four pitches to earn a strikeout and extend the combined no-hitter to 4 1/3 innings. Soderman moved quick to go up 0-2 on the next batter. The at bat lingered to 2-2 before belting a blooper into center field.

Gladstone center fielder Rex Kelly reached out to make a highlight reel catch, even getting airborne at one point. But the ball bounced in and out of his glove like a Slinky moving down a staircase. It was ruled a base hit, IM’s only hit of the game.

Soderman walked the next batter before earning a strikeout and groundout to end the fifth.

Alworden allowed one unearned run in the sixth.

The Braves tacked on two runs in the third off an RBI groundout from Frossard and an RBI single from Sanville for a 3-0 lead.

Soderman blasted a two-run triple and scored on a passed ball in the fourth for a 6-0 lead.

Young added an RBI single in the first inning.

The Braves travel to Wisconsin Dells for three games this weekend. Gladstone faces Lake Mills at 3 p.m. Friday.

Iron Mountain faced Escanaba on Wednesday.