A three-run rally in the seventh inning allowed the Ankeny Centennial baseball team to beat Ames, 5-4, on Saturday at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids.
The fourth-ranked Jaguars won their eighth consecutive game before their winning streak then came to an end with a 5-0 loss to No. 2 Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
“(The rally) just kind of came out of nowhere,” said Centennial coach Mark Hey, whose team is now 13-3 on the season. “We really hadn’t done a whole lot offensively the whole game–the Ames pitcher threw really well. But there’s just no quit in our guys. it was a very impressive (comeback).”
Ames (9-10) took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh behind Charles Tucker, who allowed just two runs on five hits through the first six innings.
Pinch-hitter Leyton Kolln drew a leadoff walk to ignite Centennial’s rally. With one out, Isaac Bruhl singled for his fourth hit of the game.
A walk to Kohen Bollwinkel loaded the bases, then Tucker threw a wild pitch that allowed a run to score. After Joey Oakie was intentionally walked to load the bases again, the Jaguars tied the game when Bruhl raced home on another wild pitch.
Emerson Alberhasky then followed with a sacrifice fly to score Bollwinkel for the walk-off win.
TJ Hood (1-0) earned the victory with three scoreless innings of relief. He allowed just one hit.
Bruhl went 4-for-4 with a double and scored a pair of runs.
“He’s seeing the ball really well,” Hey said. “He really battled in some of those at-bats, going deep into the counts and staying with it. That’s good to see when an athlete does that.”
Pratim Amin had Centennial’s only other hits, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
In the loss to Kennedy, the game was scoreless until the Cougars (20-1) erupted for five runs in the fourth inning. Will Morris (2-1) took the loss, allowing five earned runs on eight hits over the first four innings.
Kennedy’s Owen Anderson went 2-for-3 with a double. He drove in a run in the Cougars’ big inning.
Reed Anderson went 2-for-3 for the Jaguars, who were held scoreless for the first time this season.
Kennedy’s Grant Mather (4-0) tossed a three-hitter and had eight strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 2.13.
“He’s a real good one, and he just kind of shut our offense down,” Hey said.
Centennial will host a CIML Conference game against No. 9 Waukee Northwest (12-8) on Monday.
