The Ankeny softball team is on a roll.
The 15th-ranked Hawkettes pounded out 16 hits and romped to a 10-3 victory over visiting Clarke (Osceola) in a matchup of 5-1 teams on Thursday at Ankeny.
It was the sixth consecutive triumph for Ankeny, which is averaging 11 runs per game during its winning streak.
“Overall, it was a good team performance,” said Ankeny coach Dave Bingham. “Clarke is a quality team, and they were state champs two years ago. They’ve got some good young kids.”
Clarke took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, but Ankeny answered with four runs in the bottom of the frame. The Hawkettes later had another four-run inning in the fourth to make it 9-3.
The first two batters in Ankeny’s lineup, Kennedy Thomas and Peyton Daugherty, combined for nine hits on the night. They reached base 10 consecutive times.
Thomas went 4-for-5 with a double and a three-run homer, her second of the season. She also reached on an error.
Daugherty went 5-for-5 with a double to raise her average to .524. She stole three bases, scored two runs and drove in another.
Daugherty’s sister, Malea, went 2-for-4 and had two RBIs. Anna Voigt also went 2-for-4 and scored two runs.
Paige Jacobsen (4-0) scattered seven hits over five innings to earn the win. Shelbie Chambers pitched two hitless innings to close it out.
“Shelbie came in and shut the door,” Bingham said. “The girls are all picking each other up, and that’s nice to see.”