After a rough start to the season, the Ankeny Centennial baseball team seems to have found a groove.
The Jaguars improved their record to 3-4 by sweeping a non-conference doubleheader against visiting Des Moines Roosevelt on Wednesday. They posted a 12-2 victory in six innings in the opener, then completed the sweep with a 7-3 triumph.
“We swung the bats really well,” said Centennial coach Mark Hey. “We’ve been doing a lot of good things. We’ve had good pitching all year, and our defense has been fairly solid. We just weren’t hitting the ball early on, but since then we’ve been swinging it better. Our work ethic is really good, and that’s kind of paying off right now.”
Kyle Miller (1-0) tossed a six-hitter and had five strikeouts in the first game. He also doubled and drove in two runs.
Jackson Powell and Damin Churchman each went 3-for-3 in the win. Powell doubled and had four RBIs, while Churchman scored three times.
“We moved Damin up to the leadoff spot, and he came through with a big night,” Hey said.
Trey Hansen tripled and knocked in a run. Nick Severson doubled and had one RBI.
Easton Miller (1-1) was the winning pitcher in the nightcap. He had three strikeouts over the first 4 1/3 innings and combined with Andrew Tilton on a three-hitter.
Gabriel Monosmith went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Churchman went 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI.
Kaden Stewart also doubled and drove in two runs. Severson tripled and scored a run.
The Roughriders dropped to 3-6.
“We’ve got some very good hitters,” Hey said. “But they’re young, and I think they had some jitters in those first few varsity games. They were a little tight. I think they’ve started to relax a little bit now.”
Centennial will host a non-conference game against second-ranked Urbandale (6-2) on Friday.
