The seventh-ranked Ankeny softball team jumped out to a 4-0 lead before No. 10 Johnston rallied for a 6-4 victory in a CIML Conference game on Wednesday at Ankeny.
It was the season opener for both squads.
“That’s what it’s going to be like every night,” said first-year Ankeny coach Sarah Saladino. “Whether it’s a single (game) or a doubleheader, you’re going to have to be ready to play. You have to be ready to grind.”
Ankeny took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, then added three more runs in the third. Tenley Heidemann had a pair of hits for the Hawkettes, who knocked out Johnston starter Berkley McClish.
“We came out strong right away,” Saladino said.
Jensyn Tenpas then relieved for the Dragons and allowed no runs on four hits the rest of the way. She walked two and had four strikeouts.
Johnston got a run in the fourth inning off Ankeny pitcher Aubrey Lensmeyer. Julia Christensen then hit a two-run homer in the fifth to close the gap to 4-3.
Reese Van Roekel went 2-for-3 and had three RBIs for the Dragons, who rallied for three runs in the seventh inning.
“Aubrey did great on the mound,” Saladino said. “I thought we should have produced more runs. We had runners on, but we just needed to do a better job of moving them over.”
The Hawkettes will host a conference doubleheader against No. 11 Waukee (3-0) on Thursday. The Warriors opened league play on Wednesday with a 4-3 win over No. 2 Ankeny Centennial.
“I thought we had a great first night out,” Saladino said. “And now there’s no rest.”