The Ankeny softball team used a five-run fifth inning to post a 5-0 victory over visiting Waukee in the second game of a doubleheader on Thursday, allowing the second-ranked Hawkettes to salvage a split of the twinbill.
The Warriors snapped Ankeny’s seven-game winning streak with a 3-0 triumph in the opener. The Hawkettes were held scoreless for the first time this season.
In the nightcap, Kendra Winfrey (5-0) tossed a two-hitter. She walked none and had five strikeouts.
Abby Rusher went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Kennedy Palmer went 2-for-2, scored a run and drove in another.
Aubrey Lensmeyer also had an RBI for Ankeny, which had Cassie Johnson back in the lineup for the first time since the opener of Monday’s doubleheader at Valley. Johnson, who had been out with an illness, went 1-for-4.
Larissa Miller stole two bases and scored a run. Katie Kirschman and Josie Parton also stole a base and scored a run in the fifth-inning outburst.
In the first game, Ankeny was held to just two hits. Miller and Lensmeyer each had a single.
Waukee scored all of its runs with two outs. The Warriors took a 1-0 lead on a single in the fourth inning, then plated two more runs on a double in the sixth.
Rusher (12-3) suffered her first loss since June 7 against No. 1 Ankeny Centennial. She allowed three earned runs on four hits over the first six innings while racking up 10 strikeouts.
The Hawkettes are now 8-4 in the CIML Conference and 17-5 overall. Waukee improved its records to 3-7 and 6-15.
Ankeny will play in the Fort Dodge Invitational this weekend. The Hawkettes will face Sioux City Heelan (7-11) in the opening round on Friday at 9 a.m.
