The Ankeny baseball team scored six runs in the first inning and went on to beat visiting Ankeny Christian Academy, 11-1, in six innings in a non-conference game on Wednesday.
The Hawks pounded out 10 hits in the first three innings off ACA ace Eli Christensen. Only four of the eight runs that he allowed were earned.
“I was impressed with his tempo, and with him on the mound I would think Ankeny Christian would be pretty tough in a winner-take-all setting,” said Ankeny coach Joe Balvanz. “(Christensen) had some good stuff, but our guys just found some barrels there in the first inning. We had some good at-bats with two outs. He threw some good pitches; our guys just put some good swings on the ball.”
Karsten Bernholtz went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs, while Evan Irlmeier went 3-for-4, stole two bases and scored three runs. Ryan Maire went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs.
Kinnick Vos also had two RBIs, while Reid Johnson went 2-for-2 with a double and knocked in a run. Carson Agan tripled and had one RBI.
“We’re trying to stay as long as we can up the middle,” Balvanz said. “We used that big baseball field that we have.”
ACA coach Craig Dueker said his team never recovered from the slow start.
“Ankeny is a good team who is going to have a lot of success this year,” said Dueker. “They did an outstanding job hitting with two strikes and two outs. That first inning we gave up six runs with two outs, and that was the difference. We knew we were going to have to play really well to have a shot, but just couldn’t string enough hits together offensively.”
Landon Nehring drove in Dylan Quick for ACA’s lone run in the fifth inning. The Eagles dropped to 7-3 on the season.
Ankeny (5-6) got a strong start from junior Nick Meyer, who allowed just one hit and had three strikeouts over the first three innings. Meyer evened his record at 2-2.
“Regardless (of the result), this was a great opportunity for us that is going to help make us better as we begin getting ready for a deep postseason run,” Dueker said.
The Eagles will play at Seymour on Thursday. The Hawks will host a CIML Conference doubleheader against sixth-ranked Southeast Polk (11-2) on Friday.
“They’re very talented on the mound and at the plate,” Balvanz said of the Rams. “I think they’re one of the better offensive teams in the state. We will certainly have our hands full.”
