Mady Ott and the Ankeny Centennial softball team feel right at home at Harlan Rogers Park.
Ott homered twice and drove in seven runs on Saturday as the fifth-ranked Jaguars cruised to the championship of the 16-team Fort Dodge Invitational. They rallied for an 11-5 victory over Class 3A No. 1 Williamsburg in the semifinals, then followed with an 8-2 triumph over Class 4A No. 3 Fort Dodge in the title game.
Centennial (19-4) extended its current winning streak to 10 games with four more victories on the same field where the Jaguars captured the Class 5A championship last summer.
“It was really fun to be back in Fort Dodge and getting a feel for the state tournament environment again,” said Ott, who was an all-tournament pick as a freshman. “The whole team is starting to feel more comfortable hitting. I think everyone on the team had some clutch hits this weekend and contributed to these wins.”
The Jaguars nearly faced No. 7 Ankeny in the final, but the potential crosstown showdown was prevented by Fort Dodge’s rally in the semifinals. The Dodgers scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to post a 5-4 victory.
The Hawkettes (13-9) then dropped a 7-5 decision to Williamsburg (18-4) in the third-place game.
“We are playing THE best competition in the state,” said Ankeny coach Dave Bingham. “It’s building grit and toughness. We are proud of this squad.”
Centennial used a five-run sixth inning to break open the game against Fort Dodge (16-5). Cora Boyle (11-0) scattered seven hits and had four strikeouts to remain unbeaten on the season.
Payton Drefke went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and three RBIs. Mary Brantley went 2-for-3 with a double and drove in a run, and Ellie Lorenz also went 2-for-3.
Addi Starr capped off a huge weekend by going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. She went 9-for-12 in the tournament.
Jordyn Kennedy went 3-for-4 with a double and scored a run. Ott hit her team-leading eighth homer of the season–all of them since June 6.
“Personally, it felt great to connect for a couple of home runs, but I need to keep working and be more consistent at the plate,” Ott said.
Ott went 2-for-3 with a homer and five RBIs in the win over Williamsburg. After the Raiders built a 5-1 lead, the Jaguars scored two runs in the third inning and seven more in the fourth to advance to the title game.
Lauren Sandholm (8-2) was the winning pitcher, allowing two earned runs on nine hits while recording four strikeouts. She also hit a home run, the first of her varsity career, and had two RBIs.
Starr went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and knocked in a run. Boyle also went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Williamsburg then bounced back from the loss to beat Ankeny for third place, snapping the Hawkettes’ four-game winning streak. The Raiders used a three-run fifth to overcome a 5-3 deficit.
Aubrey Lensmeyer (6-5) took the loss. She allowed four earned runs on seven hits and had three strikeouts.
Kaylyn Miller hit a solo home run for the Hawkettes, the first of her career. Grace Rood drove in a pair of runs.
Josie Parton went 2-for-2. Madison Meyers went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
Meyers earlier hit a two-run homer, the first of her career, in the loss to Fort Dodge. Rood went 2-for-3 and had one RBI.
Abby Rusher (7-4) took the loss. She allowed three earned runs on 11 hits and had three strikeouts.
Ankeny took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth before Fort Dodge rallied. Calliegh Zimmermann doubled on the first pitch of the inning to score the automatic runner from second base, then later came home on a single by Meah McCaleb.
“I think it’s always good to play on the same fields we will play on during state,” said Rusher. “It helps get us in that state mindset. This weekend and past couple of games have been really beneficial for our younger girls. They have really stepped up, and I’m excited to see how they perform moving forward.”
Both Ankeny and Centennial advanced to the semifinals with a pair of shutout victories on Friday.
The Jaguars opened the tournament with a 12-0 win over Sioux City Heelan (9-12) in four innings. Sandholm tossed a one-hitter and had eight strikeouts.
Boyle went 2-for-3 and had three RBIs. Ott went 2-for-3, scored three runs and drove in another.
Starr had two RBIs. Drefke and Kennedy each hit a double.
Centennial then followed with a 10-0 triumph in the quarterfinals over Class 4A No. 14 Clear Clear Creek-Amana (13-5). The Jaguars used a five-run fifth inning to end the game.
Boyle tossed a one-hitter and had four strikeouts. She also doubled and drove in a run.
Starr went 3-for-3 with a double and one RBI. Drefke went 2-for-3, scored three runs and knocked in another.
Kennedy, Kori Lincicum and Ava Faber also had RBIs in the win.
Ankeny, meanwhile, opened the tournament with a 4-0 victory over Class 1A No. 13 Clarksville (8-6). Rusher threw a two-hitter and had 12 strikeouts.
Miller had two RBIs for the Hawkettes, and Parton drove in a run. Avery Nelson had a double.
In the quarterfinals, Ankeny posted a 2-0 win over Winterset, the No. 11 team in Class 4A. The Hawkettes avenged a 1-0 loss at Winterset on May 25.
Lensmeyer tossed a three-hitter to earn the victory. She had two strikeouts.
“We definitely feed off each other,” Rusher said. “We support each other and want the other to perform at their best. A good performance definitely can carry into following games.”
Ava Tomlinson went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Nelson had one of the team’s six hits, scored a run and knocked in another.
Ankeny will play a CIML Conference doubleheader at No. 3 Johnston (14-6) on Monday. The Jaguars will host a conference twinbill against Dowling Catholic (7-12).
