Prior to Monday night, Lauren Gustofson had accounted for four of the Ankeny Centennial softball team’s six victories in the pitching circle.
Despite those numbers, the 11th-ranked Jaguars clearly have some pitching depth.
Sam Klug and Maggie Fisher each tossed a complete game as Centennial swept a CIML Iowa Conference doubleheader at Marshalltown. The Jaguars posted a 4-0 victory in the opener before completing the sweep with a 9-1 triumph.
“We went up there expecting to play a really good team, and they showed us that they were a good team off the bat,” Centennial coach Brett Delaney said of the Bobcats.
Marshalltown, though, had no answers for Klug in the first game. She allowed just one hit, which came in the sixth inning, and had 14 strikeouts.
Klug raised her mark to 3-2.
“Sam had a pretty dominant performance,” Delaney said. “She came to the park ready to go, got her pregame routine dialed in and was just excited to get out there and have the opportunity after her last outing (at Valley on Wednesday).”
Payton Drefke went 2-for-4 and scored two runs in the win. Addi Starr went 2-for-2, while Mackenzie James, Sydney Morris and Lauren Solis each knocked in a run.
In the nightcap, Fisher tossed a five-hitter and had eight strikeouts. She evened her record at 1-1.
“Maggie’s been working really hard, and we gave her the opportunity to go in Game 2,” Delaney said. “She came up really big for us.”
Jenna Wendt went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs for the Jaguars, who broke the game open with a five-run sixth inning. Ella Schulz went 2-for-4 with a double and drove in two runs.
James and Morris each went 2-for-4 and had one RBI. Starr also knocked in a run.
Centennial improved to 3-1 in the conference and 8-3 overall. The Bobcats’ records dropped to 0-4 and 0-7.
The Jaguars will play a non-conference game on Tuesday at North Polk (5-4), the No. 8 team in Class 4A.
