When the Ankeny softball team entered postseason play on a six-game losing streak, the odds of the Hawkettes capturing a state tournament trophy seemed remote at best.
But over the last two weeks, that’s exactly what coach Dave Bingham’s squad was able to do.
Ninth-ranked Ankeny closed out the season on Thursday with a 6-5 loss to No. 11 Urbandale in the consolation final of the Class 5A state tournament at Harlan Rogers Park in Fort Dodge. The Hawkettes (22-22) placed fourth, their highest finish since the split into two high schools a decade ago.
“We were doubted for sure,” said sophomore outfielder Avery Nelson, who doubled and had two RBIs in the loss.
Urbandale (24-19) also made an impressive postseason run after placing seventh in the CIML Conference with a 4-12 mark. The J-Hawks had split a doubleheader against Ankeny on June 6.
All three games between the two teams were decided by one run.
“Every game was a close one,” Bingham said. “Our external goal was to win a championship, so it was an odd game (to play for third). But we still wanted it.”
The J-Hawks scored two unearned runs in the sixth inning off Ankeny reliever Aubrey Lensmeyer to break a 4-4 tie. Lensmeyer (7-10) took the loss, despite allowing no hits and recording three strikeouts over the final 2 1/3 innings.
“We’ve got some young kids out there, and we just had a little bit of a throwing error that cost us,” Bingham said.
Nelson answered with a two-out, RBI double in the bottom of the inning to cut the J-Hawks’ lead to 6-5. But Urbandale reliever Morgan Barry then retired the next four batters to close out the game.
“We had not seen (Barry),” Nelson said. “She’s a younger girl, and I’m pretty sure she started pitching for them midway through the season.”
Barry (8-8) allowed just one run on three hits over the final three innings. She walked none and had two strikeouts.
“We told the girls we would see (Barry) for sure. I knew we’d see her,” Bingham said. “She’s about the same (as starting pitcher Jaidan Abel)–they’re just different sized kids. You’ve got to be patient (with Barry).”
It was Ankeny’s fourth consecutive postseason game against a conference rival. The Hawkettes defeated No. 10 Southeast Polk in the regional final, then knocked off No. 4 Waukee Northwest in Monday’s quarterfinals before dropping an 8-1 decision to No. 1 Valley in Wednesday’s semifinals.
“It was tough (to come back from the loss), but we battled through it,” Nelson said.
Bingham made some lineup changes, giving senior catcher Marah Hansen a rare start behind the plate. Another senior, outfielder Josie Parton, returned to the lineup and went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
“We honored a couple of kids who started that game,” Bingham said. “Marah has probably been the glue of our program for four years, and she never really gets in there. She’s a special kid, and she played great. Josie got back in there today and played great, too.”
Urbandale took an early lead when Kyra Kain hit a two-run homer off Abby Rusher in the second inning. It was the third home run of the season for Kain, who was later named to the Class 5A all-tournament team along with Rusher.
The J-Hawks added another run in the third, when they started a rally with two outs. They loaded the bases before Kain was hit by a pitch to make it 3-0.
After Ankeny loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, Lensmeyer hit a sacrifice fly with one out to drive in Morgan Fisher. Nelson also scored on the play when the throw to the plate eluded Urbandale catcher Tatum Johnson.
Ava Tomlinson then followed with an RBI single to drive in Kaylyn Miller, tying the game at 3-3.
The Hawkettes took their only lead in the fourth inning. Autumn Leinen scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Nelson, who reached base when Urbandale centerfielder Sarah Webster dropped the ball.
The J-Hawks then tied the game in the top of the fifth when Johnson blasted a two-out homer to left field. It was her 11th home run of the year.
After a single by Bri Tigges, Lensmeyer then came in to replace Rusher.
“We already knew them,” Nelson said of the J-Hawks. “We knew what they were going to do and where they were going to hit the ball, so that helped a lot. It just didn’t go our way in the end.”
Ankeny will now have to replace eight seniors, including Tomlinson. Her final at-bat came with one out in the seventh inning, when she smashed the ball to the left side but was thrown out on a great play by Urbandale third baseman Alexa Richmond.
“That was a rocket,” Bingham said. “But even with two outs, I thought we could still win it. I thought we’d get (a runner) on and then hit a walk-off bomb. That’s the way I think anyway.”
After making back-to-back trips to Fort Dodge, the Hawkettes will try to earn a 30th state tournament appearance in 2025. They are currently tied with Charles City for the second-most appearances in tournament history behind Clear Creek-Amana, which has qualified 35 times.
“It’s a cultural thing, and it’s hard to achieve,” Bingham said. “We’ve had it for moments this season, and when you have it, it’s great. It’s why you coach and why you play.”
