For the second straight year, Ankeny Christian Academy’s baseball season ended with a loss in a Class 1A district final.
The Eagles dropped a 4-2 decision on Saturday at fourth-ranked Lynnville-Sully, which defeated ACA for the second time this season. The Hawks won the first matchup, 7-2, on May 27.
“I was really proud of the way the boys battled,” said ACA coach Craig Dueker. “Lynnville-Sully is averaging almost nine runs a game, and Tyler Mahoney held them down on the mound along with a solid defensive effort behind him.”
Lynnville-Sully took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Hawks added a run in the second and one more in the fourth to build a 4-0 advantage.
ACA rallied for two runs in the fifth, but it wasn’t enough. The Eagles finished the season with a 16-12 record.
“Offensively, we just couldn’t pick up the key hit we needed,” Dueker said. “We had opportunities. Every inning we put runners on base. This game was a flat-out battle between two really good teams. The atmosphere was electric, the energy was high, and both teams played well in pressure situations. Lynnville-Sully has a chance to go really deep in the postseason, and we stood toe-to-toe with them.”
Conner Maston drove in two runs for Lynnville-Sully and also tossed three scoreless innings with six strikeouts to earn the victory. The Hawks (27-1) will play Lenox (20-7) in the substate final on Tuesday at Bondurant-Farrar.
The Eagles will have to replace just two seniors, Ethan Jacobs and Tyler Millard.
“This just adds more fuel to the fire for the boys to work even harder in the offseason to take the next step,” Dueker said.
