(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
The stage was set heading into Saturday afternoon and things were simple for the Ankeny Centennial softball team: the sixth-ranked Jaguars needed to pull out at least one win against No. 5 Waukee Northwest to stay alive in the race for the CIML Conference title.
The Jaguars suffered a 3-1 loss to open up the weekend twinbill, but they bounced right back by fighting tooth-and-nail for a 3-2 victory in nine innings to head home with a chance for at least a share of the conference championship.
“It’s two of the best teams in the state of Iowa right there,” said Centennial coach Brett Delaney. “We didn’t come out on top in the first game, we made a few adjustments and found a way in game two.”
A sweep for Centennial would’ve meant an opportunity to outright win the CIML title with a sweep of visiting Urbandale on Monday.
Northwest was celebrating its Senior Night, and the Wolves’ festivities on their home diamond started with making sure the Jaguars were no longer in a spot to sit alone at the top of the standings.
The Wolves opened up the first game recording the only inning of the day with more than one run scoring. An RBI single from Laurel Richards put them ahead and a bases-loaded, two-out line drive popped out of Addi Starr’s glove to plate a second run for Northwest.
Jordyn Kennedy got Centennial on the scoreboard in the third inning by driving Starr in from third on an RBI single to right field. Northwest got its two-run lead back in the bottom of the fifth by bringing in a runner on a groundout.
Lauren Sandholm (12-6) pitched all six innings for the Jaguars and recorded one strikeout. Cora Boyle led in the batter’s box with two singles for two of the team’s five total hits.
Northwest’s standout eighth grader Sophia Schlader forced eight Centennial strikeouts to lead the Wolves.
“Anytime you come to play in the CIML, it’s going to be a grind,” Delaney said. “I don’t know if the girls know what’s ahead of them on Monday, but we knew we wanted to come in here and get one. You want to get the first and try to get the sweep, but that didn’t happen, so we had to find a way to get one out of the two (games).”
The second game became a must-win for the Jaguars to stay in the conference title picture. Senior Jessica Lathrop played a big role in the victory by going 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Lathrop’s double in the top of the fourth led Centennial to its first lead of the day. Walks for Payton Drefke and Kori Lincicum loaded up the bases, then Ava Faber flew out to right field and Lathrop scored by a ruling of obstruction at home plate on her tag up.
Lathrop came back in the top of the fifth to drive in Addie Pollock with an RBI single to center field for a 2-0 Centennial lead.
Schlader gave the Wolves some momentum with her 16th home run of the season in the bottom of the inning to pull it back within a run. Northwest tied it in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out RBI single from Alayna Schulte.
The Jaguars stuck with Boyle (14-1) in the circle, while the Wolves reverted back to Schlader going into extra innings.
Centennial nearly scored the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth, but McKenna Vallejo was tagged out at home on a bunt attempt from Pollock.
Boyle responded by forcing three quick outs on just a handful of pitches in the bottom of the inning.
Faber got to second with a ball going out of play to open up the ninth. Mary Brantley got her to third on a bunt, and Starr brought her in as the winning run with an RBI grounder into right field.
Boyle forced a pair of fly balls to right field and a groundout in the bottom of the ninth to help the Jaguars clinch a gutsy victory.
“We had a gutty performance in the circle by Cora in game two,” Delaney said. “Then we had to face their best to beat them. They brought (Schlader) in, and we found a way to get a run off of her.”
Centennial (26-9 overall, 11-3 CIML) and No. 1 Valley (29-4, 11-3) both have a chance to finish with 13-3 conference records with possible sweeps in their last conference doubleheaders.
Northwest (28-7) and No. 3 Johnston (28-9) closed out conference play with 12-4 marks.
The Jaguars return home on Monday to host a doubleheader against No. 11 Urbandale (20-16, 4-10 CIML) starting at 5 p.m.
