The Ankeny Centennial baseball team moved into a tie for first place in the CIML Conference by sweeping a doubleheader on Thursday at seventh-ranked Valley.
The Jaguars held on for a 3-2 victory in the first game, then completed the sweep with a 5-4 win. The top six teams in the conference are now separated by just 1.5 games.
Centennial and No. 8 Johnston lead the way with 8-4 records. They are followed closely by No. 6 Waukee and Valley at 7-4, No. 4 Waukee Northwest at 7-5, and Southeast Polk at 6-5.
“It’s very important (to win the conference),” said Centennial junior Trae Houser. “In the CIML everyone just beats up on each other. If you can beat up on another team better, then you can come out on top.”
Houser made a game-saving catch in Thursday’s opener. The left fielder caught a sinking line drive off the bat of Caden Miller with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth inning.
The grab likely saved at least two runs from scoring.
“I got a good read on the ball off the bat,” Houser said. “I knew I was tracking it the whole way, and I knew I had a shot at it. It was a right place, right moment kind of thing.”
The Jaguars (13-6 overall) also survived a scare in the seventh inning. Valley’s Jacob Koerselman walked with two outs before Centennial reliever Reed Anderson retired Ellis Colon on a deep fly ball to right fielder Kohen Bollwinkel to end the game.
Darin Severs (4-0) earned the victory, allowing one earned run on three hits over the first five innings. Anderson overcame four walks in the final two innings to get the save.
“I’m confident in all of our pitchers,” Houser said. “We put in a lot of work for it not to pay off on the mound. We’re very deep in arms, so anyone who goes out there I have trust in them.”
The Jaguars had just three hits in the win. Jackson Reed went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, the team’s first roundtripper of the season.
“It actually wasn’t my pitch. I was looking for something more down, but my first at-bat (the umpire) called a few high ones (as strikes) so I decided to swing at the high one on my second at-bat and ended up barreling it up,” said Reed. “I didn’t think it was out right away. I just thought it was a routine fly ball, but then I saw the right fielder going back so then I saw it had a chance and it ended up going out.”
Will Morris had Centennial’s other hit. Morris and William Nesler each drove in a run.
Aidan Plum had two RBIs for Valley (12-7).
In the nightcap, Morris (5-0) went the distance to remain unbeaten. He allowed two earned runs on six hits and had eight strikeouts.
“Will was a bulldog on the mound,” said Centennial coach Mark Hey. “We got some big hits early in the game and just kept battling all night. Valley is a great team, and it’s nice to come away with two wins over there.”
Morris went 2-for-3 with a double and scored a pair of runs. Bollwinkel went 3-for-4, and Anderson knocked in a run.
The Jaguars will host a conference game against Urbandale (6-12) on Monday. The J-Hawks were swept on Thursday by Dowling Catholic, 12-11 and 20-12, and have now lost seven straight games.
