It was a Senior Night that Cassie Johnson will never forget.
The Ankeny softball star returned to the team’s lineup for the first time in nearly a month and blasted a two-run homer in her first at-bat, helping the eighth-ranked Hawkettes to a 4-3 victory over Class 4A No. 3 Fort Dodge in a non-conference game on Wednesday.
Johnson, who had suffered a foot injury during a contest against Ankeny Centennial on May 24 at the Johnston Invitational, was among the seniors honored before the game.
“It felt great,” said Johnson. “I’ve been itching to get back. It feels like I’ve been out for a long time.”
Kaylyn Miller also had a two-run homer as Ankeny (14-11) snapped a four-game losing skid. The Hawkettes avenged Saturday’s 5-4 loss in the semifinals of the Fort Dodge Invitational.
“It’s really huge,” said Miller. “The last game was really close. It went to eight innings, and we just couldn’t hold on to it. This time we got them.”
Abby Rusher (8-5) tossed a four-hitter to earn the win. She allowed just one earned run and had two strikeouts.
The Dodgers (18-6) had 11 hits off Rusher on Saturday.
“It’s always hard and difficult (to face a team a second time), but what worked for me the last game still worked for me tonight so I just stuck with that mostly–the inside riseball,” said Rusher. “Losing to them earlier and coming back to win, especially on Senior Night, that was big for us.”
Ankeny relied on the bombs by Johnson and Miller to overcome five errors. The Hawkettes had only three other hits–all of them by Kensington Arringdale.
Arringdale went 3-for-3 with a run scored. She is now 7-for-10 over the last three games, raising her average to .531 on the season.
Arringdale hit a leadoff single in the first inning. One out later, Johnson ripped a pitch from Lucy Porter over the left-field fence for her third homer of the season.
“I felt really good,” Johnson said. “I love the girls around me, and they’ve been really supportive of my recovery and me being comfortable coming back.”
Ankeny coach Dave Bingham inserted Johnson into the lineup as the designated player. She was cleared to start hitting five days ago.
“Me and my dad have been hitting in the cages a lot, so this feels good,” Johnson said. “I knew what (Porter) threw. I was kind of looking for something outside. She threw it there, and I barreled it up.”
It was the 25th career homer for the Texas Tech recruit, who did not play high school softball as a freshman or sophomore. She had eight homers as an eighth grader in 2020, then hit 14 more after returning to the team as a junior.
“That’s just what she does,” Rusher said of Johnson’s towering blasts. “It’s amazing to see.”
Fort Dodge tied the game at 2-2 before Ankeny’s Lily Hans drew a leadoff walk in the fourth. With one out, Miller connected off Porter for her second homer in the last four games.
“That one came off the bat really hot,” said Miller, a third baseman. “I knew it was gone when I hit it.”
Miller also caught a line drive by Porter for the second out in the fifth inning, which temporarily saved a run. Freshman Ellie Doster then hit a deep fly ball that led to an error, allowing Fort Dodge to close the gap to 4-3.
However, Rusher then cruised the rest of the way. She retired the Dodgers in order in the seventh and fielded a grounder to close it out.
“I’m glad I was able to get that last out and celebrate with my team,” Rusher said.
Ankeny will travel to Southeast Polk on Thursday for a CIML Conference doubleheader. The No. 11 Rams are 4-6 in the league and 16-13 overall.
Johnson, an all-state catcher, is hoping to return to the field soon.
“It’s still a little sore to run, but I’m going to fight through the pain because we only have so much time left,” she said.
