One of the state’s hottest baseball teams visited Ankeny on Friday for a non-conference doubleheader and swept the Hawks.
Linn-Mar (Marion) posted a 12-2 victory in six innings in the opener, snapping Ankeny’s three-game winning streak. The Lions then completed the sweep with an 8-4 win.
Linn-Mar (16-6) has won its last eight games by a combined margin of 81-15. The Hawks dropped to 10-16 on the season.
Linn-Mar broke the first game open with a six-run fifth inning, then added two more in the sixth to end it via the mercy rule. Jackson Mishler tripled and had three RBIs for the Lions.
Hunter Minner (0-2) took the loss. He allowed two earned runs on three hits over four-plus innings, but also gave up seven walks.
The Hawks committed five errors, which led to eight unearned runs.
Ankeny’s Karsten Bernholtz went 2-for-2 with two doubles and a run scored in the loss. Blake Morgan and Carson Riggs each had an RBI.
Linn-Mar jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap. Ankeny closed the gap to 7-4 in the sixth inning, but the Lions held on for the win.
Bridger Schmidt went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs for Linn-Mar. Fellow freshman Charlie Sarsfield went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored.
Jack Clevidence (0-4) took the loss. He allowed six earned runs on nine hits and had six strikeouts over four innings.
Bernholtz went 2-for-3 and had two RBIs for the Hawks. Evan Irlmeier went 2-for-3 with a double, and Morgan had another RBI.
Ankeny will travel to Johnston on Monday for a CIML Conference doubleheader against the fourth-ranked Dragons (20-3), who have won their last six games and lead the league with an 11-3 mark. The Hawks dropped a 7-3 decision to Johnston on May 30.
