A dramatic rally allowed the Ankeny baseball team to earn a season-opening split of a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday at Pleasant Valley.
The Hawks rallied for five runs in the seventh inning of the nightcap to erase a 7-2 deficit, then got a sacrifice fly from Jack Clevidence in the eighth to post an 8-7 victory.
“It wasn’t the prettiest doubleheader, but I’m proud of their grit,” said Ankeny coach Joe Balvanz. “They played their hearts out tonight.”
Travis Gerstel tossed the final 3 2/3 innings to earn the win. He struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth.
“Travis was put in a tough spot there, but he gave our team a big lift,” Balvanz said.
Kinnick Vos hit a three-double in the seventh inning to ignite Ankeny’s rally. Henry Ha later added a two-run single to force extra innings.
Carson Riggs hit a leadoff single in the eighth. He advanced to second on a bunt by Evan Irlmeier and eventually came home on Clevidence’s fly ball.
“We made some mistakes in the first five innings, and it looked like our first night out,” Balvanz said. “But we flipped a switch in the seventh inning and were able to grind it out. It was unexpected, but it was fun to watch. The guys didn’t quit playing until they ran out of outs, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Karsten Bernholtz hit an RBI double in the third inning to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. After Pleasant Valley answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame, Riggs had another RBI double in the fourth to tie it at 2-2.
The Spartans scored two runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and one more in the sixth to build a 7-2 lead before Ankeny rallied.
In the opener, Pleasant Valley posted a 5-0 win behind a one-hitter from sophomore Lincoln Dalton. He allowed a double to Clevidence in the first inning, then shut down the Hawks the rest of the way.
“That was pretty impressive for a kid of that age,” Balvanz said. “He just settled in, and it was tough sledding for us.”
The Spartans took the lead on a two-out triple with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. They later added two more runs in the sixth.
“I thought (Zach) Halverson threw well, too,” Balvanz said. “We just couldn’t get anything going against (Dalton).”
The Hawks will host a non-conference game against Bettendorf (1-0) on Thursday.
