The Ankeny Centennial baseball team needed a win on Wednesday for a couple of reasons.
After losing back-to-back games for the first time this season, the top-ranked Jaguars needed to gain some momentum heading into postseason play.
Coach Mark Hey’s team also needed a win to set the school record for most victories in a season.
The Jaguars responded with a 5-1 victory over visiting Des Moines Roosevelt, a team they could potentially meet in Wednesday’s substate final.
“It was a good win,” Hey said. “We played well.”
Centennial raised its record to 29-7, while the Roughriders fell to 24-16. The Jaguars broke the school record of 28 wins that was set in 2019.
“We’ve had an outstanding year, and we’re really looking forward to the postseason,” Hey said.
Centennial scored two runs in the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie. The Jaguars then added two more runs in the sixth.
Emerson Alberhasky went 2-for-4 and drove in a run. Isaac Bruhl went 2-for-3 and scored a run.
Nick Severson, Damin Churchman and Jack Compton each had an RBI for the Jaguars. Hey played most of his regulars in an effort to keep them sharp.
“It’s certainly nice to get a win to take you into the tournament,” he said. “Baseball is also one of those sports where you want the guys to see live pitching every day, or else you can get a little bit rusty.”
Kyle Miller (2-1) earned the victory with two solid innings in relief of Sean Stewart. He allowed an unearned run on one hit while recording two strikeouts.
Stewart, Miller and Preston Glatt combined on a two-hitter.
“We were just trying to keep everybody ready and get their work in on the mound,” Hey said. “It was good for those three guys to throw.”
The Jaguars will host Des Moines North (1-28) in a Class 4A substate quarterfinal on Friday at 7 p.m. They will advance to the substate final with a victory.
