Aubrey Lensmeyer and her Ankeny softball teammates have earned a little time off.
The seventh-ranked Hawkettes played six games over the last three days, beginning with a doubleheader split at Urbandale on Thursday. They then went 3-1 in the John Stephens Classic this weekend, capped off by a pair of victories on Saturday.
Lensmeyer, a junior, pitched all four games in the Creston tournament. She racked up 35 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings of work, throwing 346 pitches in a span of about 24 hours.
“It was a lot of innings on the mound!” said Lensmeyer, who raised her record to 5-4. “I always enjoy being able to pitch and contribute any way I can for the team, and that was my role for the tournament this time. As much as I pitched, Ava (Tomlinson) was catching and calling great games. Ava and I go way back, we work well together and have a lot of trust in each other. Having an amazing defense and lineup with lots of love and gratitude always makes it easy to do my job as well!”
Ankeny (9-7) closed out the tournament with a 5-1 victory over Knoxville (4-4). Lensmeyer tossed a five-hitter and had 11 strikeouts.
“My pitches were all pretty dialed in, but my curve and change up were especially dominant this time,” Lensmeyer said.
Tomlinson went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Avery Nelson went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Hannah Howard went 2-for-3 and also scored a run.
Earlier, the Hawkettes rolled to a 12-0 victory over Clarke (1-8) in four innings. Lensmeyer had four strikeouts over the first three innings, combining with Kaylyn Miller on a two-hitter.
Second baseman Grace Rood, making her first varsity start, went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs. She blasted a home run to highlight the team’s 11-hit attack.
“A freshman in her first at-bat hitting one out, that was pretty cool,” said Ankeny coach Dave Bingham. “It was a nice spark.”
Nelson went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. She is now batting .444 and leads the team with 24 hits.
Tenley Heidemann went 2-for-2 and knocked in two runs. Kensington Arringdale went 2-for-3 and scored three times.
On Friday, Ankeny opened the tournament with a 9-3 win over Atlantic, the No. 13 team in Class 3A. Lensmeyer allowed three earned runs on four hits while recording up 11 strikeouts in the six-inning contest.
Arringdale went 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Gracyn Adams went 3-for-3 and also scored a run.
Tomlinson went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Abby Rusher also drove in two runs, while Nelson went 1-for-2 and scored three times.
The Hawkettes then dropped a 3-0 decision to Bondurant-Farrar, the No. 12 team in Class 4A. Lensmeyer took the loss despite racking up nine more strikeouts, giving up two earned runs on two hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Arringdale and Rusher each had a double in the loss.
Ankeny will play a CIML Conference doubleheader at Dowling Catholic (7-8) on Wednesday.
