The Ankeny baseball team entered Thursday’s doubleheader against visiting Ankeny Centennial on a two-game losing skid after being swept by second-ranked Dowling Catholic on Wednesday.
The Jaguars were riding a three-game winning streak.
Both of those trends came to an end.
The Hawks continued their recent dominance of Centennial by sweeping the twinbill. They posted a 3-2 victory in the opener, then followed with a 15-5 win in six innings.
“There are so many excellent baseball players in this town, and that was evident tonight,” said Ankeny coach Joe Balvanz, whose team has won the last eight meetings against the Jaguars. “I hope the community is proud of the product we put out there. I think (Centennial) coach (Mark) Hey runs a first-class, top-notch program. It’s always a challenge to compete against him.”
The Hawks improved to 5-1 in the CIML Iowa Conference and 6-5 overall. Centennial’s records dropped to 3-3 and 5-6.
Ankeny used a nine-run outburst in the sixth inning to complete the sweep.
“We weren’t very competitive at the end of that second game,” Hey said. “But before that, I was real proud of the guys for the way they battled back and just kept chipping away at the lead. We got some good relief pitching in the middle and hung in there.”
Ankeny’s Dylan Schlee went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs in the nightcap. He also tossed two innings of relief after pitching the seventh inning in the opener.
“Schlee continues to eat up innings for us,” Balvanz said. “He just pounds the zone.”
Jack Clevidence (1-0) made his first varsity start on the mound. He allowed three earned runs and six walks over the first 3 1/3 innings.
“He struggled with his command, but he battled,” Balvanz said.
Jamison Patton went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for the Hawks. Thomas DeBrower went 2-for-3 and drove in a run.
Carson Agan doubled and had two RBIs. Pinch-hitter Isaiah Otten singled to knock in two runs.
In the first game, Ankeny scored two runs in the fifth inning to break a 1-1 tie. Reid Johnson went 2-for-2 and drove in all three of the Hawks’ runs.
Easton Dunwoody (1-2) allowed no earned runs on four hits over the first six innings. He recorded eight strikeouts.
“Both pitchers threw really well,” Hey said. “It was a real good baseball game.”
Centennial’s Joey Oakie allowed just three hits but hit four batters with pitches.
“He was tough,” Balvanz said. “He was moving the ball around, but we battled. It’s hard to believe he’s just a sophomore. He’s going to be tough to deal with for the next 2 1/2 years. He’s just going to get better.”
Both teams were playing their third doubleheader in three nights.
“Dowling beat us all over the field on Wednesday, but I was real proud of the way we responded tonight,” Balvanz said.
Hey said the Jaguars will try to regroup next week.
“This is the only time of the year we play three straight days, and sometimes that third day catches up with your legs, especially the catchers and arms,” he said. “I’m not making excuses though, because Ankeny played three days in a row, too. Hopefully, we can build from here and kind of right the ship next week.
“We just didn’t get a lot of hits. I thought our kids put together some good at-bats–we had some walks and some base runners–but just couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it,” he added.
The Hawks will host another conference doubleheader against Ames on Monday. Centennial will play a league twinbill at No. 7 Waukee Northwest.
