Ankeny Christian Academy pitcher Eli Christensen is already in midseason form.
The senior righthander tossed a five-hitter and had a career-high 18 strikeouts to lead the Eagles to a 4-0 victory over Coon Rapids-Bayard in the opener of their high school baseball season on Tuesday at Northview Park in Urbandale. The Crusaders (1-2) were the preseason No. 1 team in Class 1A.
“This one was definitely up there as one of the best games I’ve thrown,” said Christensen, a DMACC recruit. “Everything seemed to be working–the fastball was generating a lot of swings and misses, and I worked on and added some new secondary pitches this offseason that were also effective. Also, I give credit to my catcher Tyler Mahoney and coach (Ryan) Johnson. We had a great game plan going into the game.”
Christensen, who needed 100 pitches to go the distance, also went 2-for-2 at the plate. He walked twice and scored a pair of runs.
Landon Curtis and Brody Hoefle each drove in a run for the Eagles, who will play at Perry (0-1) on Saturday.
