One bad inning proved to be costly for the Ankeny softball team.
The second-ranked Hawkettes dropped a 7-3 decision in a non-conference game on Wednesday at Fort Dodge, the No. 3 team in Class 4A. The Dodgers scored all seven of their runs in the sixth inning to erase a 2-0 deficit.
Ankeny committed five errors in the loss, leading to four unearned runs.
“We just didn’t make enough plays,” said Ankeny coach Dave Bingham, whose team dropped to 20-6 overall. “Some of them were tough plays, but those are plays we’ve got to make if we’re going to go on a run in the postseason. It was a good experience to have that happen now, but it’s a little disappointing.”
Cadence Touney tripled and drove in two runs for the Dodgers (19-6). Macy Brown and Lydia Lara also had RBIs.
Lucy Porter scattered four hits and had five strikeouts to earn the win.
“We missed some opportunities,” Bingham said. “If we had scored a few more runs, we’d have been in good shape.”
All four of the Hawkettes’ hits went for extra bases. Kendra Winfrey went 2-for-2 with a double and a solo home run, her second of the season.
Kendra Lewis and Kennedy Palmer each doubled and knocked in a run.
“We kind of dominated the game,” Bingham said. “We just didn’t score enough runs. We didn’t hit very well tonight. We were playing really well in that Fort Dodge tournament over the weekend. We just had too long of a layoff, I guess. But their pitcher did a nice job.”
Abby Rusher (14-4) took the loss. She allowed three earned runs on six hits and had three strikeouts over the first 5 1/3 innings before being replaced by Winfrey.
Ankeny will host two games in the Brent Prange Classic on Friday. The Hawkettes will play Davis County (17-1) at 1 p.m. and Estherville Lincoln Central (24-1) at 3 p.m.
Those two teams are ranked third and fourth in Class 3A, respectively.
