Despite suffering its first loss in CIML Conference play, the Ankeny Centennial softball team moved closer to the league crown on Wednesday.
The top-ranked Jaguars rolled to a 13-3 victory over No. 7 Valley in six innings before the visiting Tigers salvaged a split of the doubleheader with a 9-3 triumph in the nightcap.
“We’ve been working really hard in the offseason, so that would be really big to win the conference,” said Centennial freshman Mady Ott, who went 3-for-4 with a grand slam in the opener.
Centennial is now 11-1 in the conference and 22-4 overall. Valley’s records are 9-5 and 22-7.
With just two twinbills left, the Jaguars only need to win one of those four games to clinch at least a share of the league title.
“We’re really confident,” said Centennial senior Mackenzie James, who also homered in the first game. “Tonight just wasn’t our night in that second game. We had a lot of errors that kind of contributed to that and maybe some iffy calls, but we’ll practice (Thursday) and get back at it the next day.”
The Jaguars snapped Valley’s nine-game winning streak in the opener. Ott ignited the rout in the first inning when she cleared the bases with a blast to center field for her fifth homer of the season.
“I was just trying to hit it hard on the ground,” Ott said. “I was just sitting back and looking for my pitch.”
In the fourth inning, James extended Centennial’s lead to 7-2 with a two-run homer off the scoreboard in left-center. It was her fourth home run.
“I usually look about inside high, but that one was right down the middle,” James said. “I just swung, and it went out.”
Jordyn Kennedy hit a three-run double as part of a five-run outburst in the fifth that increased the margin to 12-3. She leads the team with 36 RBIs.
In the bottom of the sixth, Mariah Belzer ended the game with some nifty base running. After advancing to third on a single by Cora Boyle, Belzer took off for home when the Tigers threw the ball to second in an effort to get Boyle out.
Belzer beat the throw home with an awkward slide across home plate.
“I did not want to play another inning. It was a long game. It was over two hours, and I wanted to get it over with,” Belzer said. “I ran as hard as I could and ended up being safe. I felt like we were going to score that inning anyway, so I just decided to go for it. It ended up not being the best slide, but it worked out. It was a pretty close play.”
Belzer went 2-for-4 and drove in a run. Boyle also went 2-for-4, while James went 2-for-2 and had three RBIs.
Lauren Sandholm (8-1) scattered seven hits to earn the victory. The eighth grader walked two and had one strikeout.
“She’s crazy for her age–the way she pitches,” James said of Sandholm. “I haven’t seen someone that young pitch like that before.”
In the second game, the Tigers took advantage of five Centennial errors. They also slugged three homers, two of them by Reese Cooley.
“They’re a tough team,” James said.
Lauren Gustofson (6-2) took the loss. She allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and had six strikeouts over the first 6 2/3 innings.
Sydney Morris went 3-for-4 and drove in a run for the Jaguars. Boyle went 2-for-3 and scored a run.
Ott went 2-for-4 and had an RBI. She is now batting .403 on the season.
“I’m just trying to play hard–100 percent–all the time,” Ott said.
Centennial will host two games in the Brent Prange Classic on Friday. The Jaguars will play Estherville Lincoln Central (24-1) at 1 p.m. and Davis County (17-1) at 3 p.m.
Those teams are ranked fifth and fourth in Class 3A, respectively, in the latest rankings.
