The Ankeny softball team posted a 7-4 victory over Ballard (Huxley) to place fifth in the Fort Dodge Invitational on Saturday.
The 14th-ranked Hawkettes won three of four games in the two-day, 16-team tournament. They improved to 16-7 on the season, while Ballard fell to 9-11.
“We love this tournament,” said Ankeny coach Dave Bingham. “It’s really good for us to go up there and play.”
Ashtyn Billings (6-3) was the winning pitcher. She allowed no earned runs on four hits and had two strikeouts.
Billings also earned the victory in the Hawkettes’ first-round win over Sioux City Heelan on Friday.
“She pitched great in both games,” Bingham said. “She’s just real steady right now.”
Eva Fulk went 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs against Ballard. Mariah Parton went 3-for-4 and drove in a run, while Larissa Miller went 2-for-4 and scored twice.
“We aren’t hitting the ball out of the park, but I think we’re going to have a breakthrough,” Bingham said. “Our slappers have hit a bunch of triples, and those are game-changers. Those are almost like a home run.”
Kendra Winfrey went 2-for-3 and had one RBI in the win over Ballard. Earlier on Saturday, Winfrey (7-2) tossed a seven-hitter and had four strikeouts as Ankeny defeated No. 12 Ames, 6-4, in a consolation semifinal.
Billings led the way at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double, a triple and two RBIs. She is now hitting .460 on the season.
“She is hitting the ball so well,” Bingham said. “She’s just rising to a new level as a senior, and it’s neat to see.”
Miller and Parton each went 2-for-3 in the win. Miller stole two bases and scored a run, while Parton had one RBI.
Ames’ record dropped to 12-10.
On Friday, the Hawkettes opened the tournament with a 10-3 win over Heelan (15-7), the No. 15 team in Class 4A. Billings allowed five hits and had four strikeouts over the first five innings and also drove in a run.
Parton tripled and had three RBIs, while Fulk went 3-for-3, scored three runs and knocked in another. Miller went 2-for-3, stole two bases and scored three times.
Rylee Riesberg went 2-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI. Winfrey drove in a pair of runs.
Ankeny then dropped a 4-2 decision in the quarterfinals to Winterset, the No. 2 team in Class 4A. The Huskies (18-4) went on to win the tournament, defeating No. 4 Fort Dodge in the final.
Aubrey Lensmeyer (1-1) took the loss against Winterset, despite allowing just one earned run on four hits while racking up six strikeouts.
“That was an interesting game,” Bingham said. “Kendra was going to pitch, but she was unable to go and we ended up throwing Aubrey out there, and she did a great job. (Winterset’s) Jena Young might arguably be the best player in the state, and we got her out twice.”
Alysa Lowe went 3-for-3 and drove in both of Ankeny’s runs. Parton went 2-for-4, while Jadyn Filling doubled and scored a run.
“We outhit them, 8-4, but we just didn’t field the ball cleanly,” Bingham said. “We hung in there, and if we had just gotten a couple of clutch hits, we would have been playing in the winner’s bracket on Saturday. But I was very thrilled with the performance we got out of Aubrey.”
Ankeny will travel to Mason City on Monday for a CIML Iowa Conference doubleheader against the River Hawks (6-13). The Hawkettes swept a twinbill against Mason City on May 31.
