The Ankeny baseball team got off to a good start in Saturday’s non-conference game at Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
Unfortunately, the fifth-ranked Cougars responded.
Kennedy erased an early 4-0 deficit to post a 13-8 victory. The Cougars improved to 6-0 on the season, while Ankeny’s record dropped to 1-3.
“We gave up two three-run bombs, and that was tough to overcome,” said Ankeny coach Joe Balvanz. “Their lineup is really deep. They’re probably comparable to Johnston’s depth That’s a state tournament team.”
After the Hawks scored four runs in the first inning, Kennedy used a five-run third to tie the game at 6-6. The Cougars later had another five-run outburst in the fifth to build a 12-7 lead.
Grant Mather and Owen Hutchison each homered for Kennedy. Nolan Grawe doubled twice and drove in a run.
Ryan Buffington (0-2) took the loss. He allowed six earned runs on six hits across three innings.
Blake Morgan went 3-for-4 for the Hawks. He homered, doubled and knocked in three runs.
Henry Ha went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Kinnick Vos went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Jack Clevidence went 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI.
“I was very encouraged by how we played,” Balvanz said. “It was just a day for us to grow.”
Ankeny will host No. 6 Dowling Catholic (2-0) in its CIML Conference opener on Monday.
