A strong pitching performance by Stefan Stockwell helped the Ankeny Centennial baseball team salvage a split of a doubleheader on Thursday at Mason City.
Stockwell (1-0) allowed just four hits and had seven strikeouts over the first six innings as the Jaguars posted a 4-2 victory in the nightcap. Cory Prange struck out two of the three batters he faced in the seventh inning to earn a save.
“We didn’t get many hits all night,” said Centennial coach Mark Hey, whose team is now 3-1 on the season. “But fortunately, Stockwell threw extremely well. Then Cory came in and pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to end it.”
Centennial had just two hits in the second game, but one of them was a double by Noah Stober. Both Stober and Josh Meador went 1-for-2 with a walk and scored a pair of runs.
In the opener, Mason City (3-2) scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to earn a 3-2 triumph. Stober (1-1) took the loss for the Jaguars, allowing five hits and seven walks over the first five innings.
Prange drove in both Centennial runs in the second inning. Keaton Gray had a hit, stole a base and scored a run.
The Jaguars will host a make-up doubleheader against ninth-ranked Southeast Polk (6-0) on Friday. It’s the CIML Central Conference opener for both teams.
Play was suspended due to severe weather on Tuesday, with Centennial holding a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning of the first game.