The Burlington High School baseball team just can’t seem to do anything the easy way these days.

Clinging to a one-game lead over Fairfield in the Southeast Conference with three games to play entering Monday’s doubleheader against Mount Pleasant, the Grayhounds took care of business in the opener, a 13-2, five-inning shellacking at Community Field.

The Grayhounds then proceeded to walk six batters and commit three errors in an 11-7 loss in the second game.

The Burlington split, coupled with Fairfield’s sweep of Keokuk on Monday, sets up a winner-take-all showdown Thursday at Fairfield with the Grayhounds and Trojans tied atop the standings.

With a chance to clinch at least a share of the SEC championship, the Grayhounds let it slip through their fingers.

“That’s the storybook of it. It’s the storybook of last year, too. We beat them 17-2 in that first game over there and then we gave the second one back tonight,” BHS coach Griffin Dean said. “This is stranger territory for us and Fairfield and really this conference since we’ve been here. Us or Fairfield have kind of taken it away the last couple years.”

BHS (16-10 overall, 12-2 SEC) came out like gangbusters in the opener on Senior Night.

Behind the two-hit pitching of senior Ian Mason, the Grayhounds used an eight-run third inning to break the game open. BHS sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning,

DeAndre Taylor started the merry-go-round with a double to right-center field. Mason followed with a single and Taylor scampered home on a fielder’s choice grounder. Michael Kantzavelos was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Caden Zaugg. Zaugg powered a double to the alley in left-center field to score three runs. Austin Donahoe, Kohl Lair and Mason each drove in runs.

Just like that, BHS had a commanding 8-1 lead.

“We came out pretty flat there in Game 1,” Mount Pleasant coach Brent Broeker said. “We only had two hits and three errors. I thought our boys did a much better job second game of putting the bat on the ball. We put pressure on them every inning. I talked to the team and said it would be nice if we could do that both games instead of just one.”

The Grayhounds tacked on five more runs in the fourth. Logan Messer doubled in two runs and Lair, Dylan Chenoweth and Mason each knocked in a run.

“We go from two hits to 11 hits. What was the difference? I don’t know,” Broeker said. “Mason had nice velocity. The kid in Game 2 (Noah Krieger) had nice velocity. I don’t know what the difference was. We just didn’t come out ready to play in Game 1. In Game 2 they woke up a little bit.”

The Grayhounds seemed on their way to clinching a share of the conference crown.

Mount Pleasant (14-10, 9-5) had other ideas.

After scoring runs in each of the first two innings, the Panthers scored five in the third to open a 7-2 lead. Grayson Lowery, Briar Bender and Payton Walker each had an RBI.

A two-run single by Griffen Jones in the fourth and RBIs by Cooper Coleman and Jones in the sixth gave the Panthers all the runs they would need.

The Grayhounds scored four runs in the third inning on a pair of errors and a run-scoring double by Donahoe.

But it was too little, too late.

“It was a nice win pretty much all-around,” Broeker said. “We had a few errors that second game, too, but that’s okay when you score 11 runs. You can give up a few errors. I thought our kids played pretty well overall tonight.”

After games against West Burlington and Sigourney Tuesday and Wednesday, Mount Pleasant closes the regular season with a home game Thursday against Fort Madison.

Mount Pleasant opens Class 3A substate play July 11 at Fairfield.

“I told them we finally got Burlington this year. Now we have one team left to get and that’s Fairfield,” Broeker said. “They beat us three times, so hopefully the fourth time in not the charm.”

After tune-up games against Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Davenport West Tuesday and Wednesday, Burlington travels to Fairfield on Thursday for a showdown with the Trojans for the conference title.

“It’s probably a little bit on me. I stressed the importance of Game 1 more than the next game is the most important,” Dean said. “But obviously with us winning Game 1, that kind of locks us into winner-take-all at Fairfield on Thursday. I was probably a little more loose in the second game just because I hate the conference rule that if you tie, you tie. That’s a sucky rule. Don’t get me wrong. I’d rather win it than lose it.”