On three occasions during the regular season, the Ankeny baseball team got a win from senior lefthander Brock Adamson to bounce back from a loss.
Ankeny coach Joe Balvanz handed the ball to Adamson on Friday after the Hawks closed out the regular season with back-to-back losses earlier this week.
Adamson responded with another gem, tossing a four-hitter to lead Ankeny to a 3-1 victory over visiting Norwalk in a Class 4A substate quarterfinal.
“I was really proud of the way Brock worked,” said Balvanz. “He had great tempo, great command of the strike zone, and our defense played really good routine defense.”
Adamson allowed just one unearned run, lowering his ERA to 2.37. He walked two and had five strikeouts while raising his record to 8-2.
“He just continues to lead us on the mound,” Balvanz said.
Ankeny (20-19) had only five hits, but it proved to be enough. Ryan Maire went 2-for-2 and scored a run.
The Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, then added a run in the fourth and one more in the fifth.
“We did a really good job of executing in situational baseball,” Balvanz said. “We got a couple of good bunts down, moved some guys into scoring position and had some seniors come through with big hits at the right time.”
In the fourth, Reid Johnson singled to drive in Kinnick Vos. Ankeny then extended its lead to 3-0 on an RBI triple in the fifth by Carson Agan, who ripped a two-out, two-strike pitch down the right-field line.
Norwalk (11-21) scored its only run in the sixth inning. The Warriors loaded the bases with no outs before Johnson made a diving catch in right field, which led to a double play.
“That was a big momentum swing there,” Balvanz said. “They did get a run when a guy reached on an error, but then we were able to get out of the inning.”
The Hawks will host a substate semifinal against Ottumwa (29-11) on Monday at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs advanced with a 4-0 win at Waukee.
Daltin Doud homered and drove in two runs for Ottumwa, while Tucker Long and Tanner Schark combined on a three-hitter.
“They’re a good team,” Balvanz said of the Bulldogs. “They threw a freshman (Long) at Waukee–I think he’s committed to Iowa, and he swings it well, too. We’re going to have to be ready to handle the ball.”
The winner will advance to Wednesday’s substate final at No. 7 Dowling Catholic (25-11).
