With dark clouds looming overhead, gusty winds started blowing across the Urbandale Little League baseball fields on Tuesday night.
Ankeny Christian Academy pitcher Eli Christensen stood on the mound during the seventh inning of a Class 1A district semifinal against Madrid, wondering if the approaching storm would soon wreak some havoc.
As Christensen tried to close out the game, the wind blew his hat off his head. It rolled toward home plate, where ACA catcher Malachi Johnson picked it up and returned it to his teammate.
“I’ve never played in anything like that,” said Christensen. “I really thought they were going to cancel it or postpone it or whatever, but we stayed out there and fought and we got the ‘W’. It feels so good.”
Christensen struck out the side on 14 pitches to seal the ninth-ranked Eagles’ 4-2 victory. He combined on a four-hitter with Johnson, who had six strikeouts of his own over the first six innings.
“It actually wasn’t too bad,” Johnson said of dealing with the windy conditions while trying to catch Christensen’s heat. “There were a couple times I was a little off-balance, but Eli was absolutely dealing so I wasn’t worried about it at all.”
ACA used a three-run fifth inning to break a 1-1 tie. The Eagles (26-1) will play Ogden (21-9) or Earlham (8-19) in the district final on Saturday at Urbandale at 7 p.m.
Madrid finished the season at 10-13.
“That team is always tough,” ACA coach Craig Dueker said of the Tigers. “They play in a tough conference, but these guys are warriors. We kept putting pressure on them the whole time and finally came through.”
The Eagles had lost to Madrid, 3-0, in a substate quarterfinal two years ago. Some of the ACA players were also members of the boys’ basketball team that lost to the Tigers, 72-54, in a second-round district game earlier this year.
“Losing in basketball gave the guys that were a part of that team a lot of motivation!” said ACA first baseman Logan Fincham, who scored 21 points in that loss. “We’ve had a history with Madrid, and we all had that extra edge in tonight’s game against them. Personally, I’ve wanted this game all year and I know the guys wanted it too!”
Johnson (10-0) overcame a shaky start to remain unbeaten. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Johnson hit Connor Smith with a pitch to force in a run.
“Malachi’s bugaboo is that first inning,” Dueker said. “I know the one guy he hit with the bases loaded, it just kind of came off his fingers a little wrong. But otherwise, he was dealing.”
Johnson helped his own cause with a one-out double in the bottom of the frame. His blast to left field nearly went over the fence.
“It felt really good off the bat,” Johnson said. “I thought it definitely had a chance (to go out), but I watched it halfway up its trajectory and I could see I didn’t quite get underneath it enough.”
Johnson stole third base, then scored on a grounder by Christensen to tie the game.
When he returned to the mound, Johnson found his groove. He retired the side in order in the second inning on just seven pitches, and he went on to retire seven straight batters before giving up a leadoff single in the fourth.
“I’ve had a couple games where teams have gotten to me in the first inning, but I usually get stronger as the game goes on,” Johnson said.
Dylan Quick drew a leadoff walk in the fifth to ignite the Eagles’ rally. He scored the go-ahead run when Christensen lined a single into right field.
“It was just right down the middle, and I just put it the other way,” Christensen said. “I got the base hit, and it felt good.”
Johnson scored another run on a wild pitch on an attempted squeeze bunt. Brody Hoefle, who had a triple in the fourth inning, then went to third on a single by Landon Curtis and raced home on a throwing error.
“We were just looking for one run,” Dueker said. “Just to get us on top, and we felt like we could win. These are the kind of games that we win in districts. (Scores like) 3-1, 3-2, 4-2.”
With the wind beginning to pick up, Madrid closed the gap to 4-2 on an RBI double with two outs in the sixth. But Johnson then got a strikeout on his 80th and final pitch of the game.
“His off speed was there, and he was pumping that fastball nicely,” said Christensen, who began the game behind the plate. “Malachi was throwing strikes, and we got them. With the weather and stuff, it was such a crazy game. It’s just so awesome to finally have it over.”
The Eagles won’t know their next opponent until Wednesday. The Ogden-Earlham game was suspended in the third inning due to rain.
