The Ankeny Centennial baseball team split a pair of games on Saturday in Cedar Rapids.
The Jaguars bounced back from a 5-3 loss to Bettendorf with a 3-1 victory over ninth-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
“I really like this team,” said Centennial coach Mark Hey, whose squad is now 2-1 on the season. “They grind every day whether it’s a game or practice. They don’t get too up or down. They just keep working at it, so they’re always going to have a chance.”
Will Morris tossed a gem against Kennedy (3-3). He allowed just five hits and had eight strikeouts over the first six innings.
Morris took a shutout into the sixth before the Cougars scored their only run. Colton Arndt then came on in relief and needed just eight pitches to get the final three outs.
“Will threw outstanding, and Colton came in and did what we think he can do,” Hey said. “Both of those guys are tremendous talents, and it was nice to see both of them on top of their game against an outstanding team.”
Kohen Bollwinkel went 4-for-4 and had an RBI for Centennial. Trae Houser went 2-for-4 and drove in a run, while Morris went 2-for-4 with a double.
Nolan Powell also had an RBI in the win.
“We really feel like we can hit 1 through 9, and we’re deep,” Hey said. “We haven’t had Reed Anderson or Jackson Reed yet (because of track), but we’ve had some guys step up and take advantage of their opportunities.”
Earlier, Bettendorf handed the Jaguars their first loss. The Bulldogs (5-1) never trailed after scoring two runs in the top of the first inning.
Houser took the loss, allowing two earned runs on five hits over the first four innings. Reliever Elijah Starr had five strikeouts over the last three frames, allowing just one earned run on two hits.
“Both of those guys threw really well,” Hey said. “I think Trae would say there’s a couple pitches he’d like to have back, but he had a great, competitive outing. I’ve been really happy with our pitching all year.”
Starr also went 2-for-2 at the plate. Pinch-hitter Cade Newman had an RBI double.
William Nesler went 2-for-3 and scored a run. Grant Crowner had a double, and Bollwinkel added an RBI.
Centennial will travel to Waukee on Wednesday to open CIML Conference play against the No. 4 Warriors (6-0). The Jaguars will then play a conference doubleheader at No. 2 Johnston (4-1) on Thursday.