The Ankeny baseball team might be getting hot at the right time.
The Hawks swept a home doubleheader on Monday for the first time this season, posting 6-1 and 5-3 victories over Valley. They also extended their winning streak to a season-high four games.
The CIML Conference rivals could potentially meet again in a Class 4A substate semifinal in two weeks, but Ankeny coach Joe Balvanz didn’t hesitate to use two of his team’s top pitchers–Jack Clevidence and Travis Gerstel.
The duo responded with a pair of complete games.
“I want the guys to be competitive and to play well,” said Balvanz, whose team had dropped a 3-2 decision at Valley on June 10. “I think it’s more important that we play well than to try to avoid showing something to a team that we might not face anyway.”
Clevidence (1-5) tossed a five-hitter in the opener. He took a shutout into the seventh inning before giving up an unearned run.
“We got the bats going and got an early lead for Clevidence, which he really hasn’t had much of all year,” Balvanz said. “He pitched well and was able to get his first win. He was really efficient. I was pretty happy with the way he commanded the strike zone. He worked ahead in the count, and the defense got in a groove behind him making some plays.”
Ankeny took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, then added three more runs in the second. Clevidence also doubled and drove in two runs.
Evan Irlmeier went 2-for-3 and scored a run. Samuel Sandvig, Blake Morgan and Carson Riggs each had an RBI, while Kinnick Vos and Brady Carter each scored twice.
“We had some high quality at-bats,” Balvanz said. “It’s been awhile since we’ve led a game wire-to-wire. It was fun to watch.”
In the nightcap, Valley scored two runs in the first inning and another one in the fourth. Zach Byrne went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs for the Tigers.
However, Ankeny answered with a run in the fifth, then rallied for four more in the sixth. Sandvig and Will Davies each doubled and had two RBIs for the Hawks.
“We got some guys in scoring position and you hope guys can come through, and they were up to the task tonight,” Balvanz said.
Sandvig went 2-for-4, while Morgan and Henry Ha each went 2-for-3. Morgan also had a double.
Gerstel (6-2) finished with a six-hitter and had four strikeouts. He threw 108 pitches.
“He wanted to finish it, and he did,” Balvanz said. “He threw well.”
The Hawks finished 11-13 in the league and improved to 17-21 overall. Valley’s records dropped to 6-15 and 11-19.
Ankeny will play a non-conference game at second-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes (30-2) on Wednesday.
