The Valley baseball team moved into a tie for first place in the CIML Conference with an 8-1 victory at ninth-ranked Ankeny Centennial on Thursday.
The Tigers’ win, coupled with a loss by third-ranked Waukee Northwest to No. 5 Johnston, created a three-way tie atop the conference. They are now 14-8 in the league and 20-12 overall.
Waukee Northwest also has a 14-8 mark, while Johnston is 13-7. The Jaguars, who had swept a doubleheader at Valley on June 12, dropped to 11-9 in the conference and 19-11 overall.
Valley scored three runs in each of the first two innings to build a 6-1 lead. That allowed Ryan Stedman to cruise to the victory, allowing just four hits while racking up 10 strikeouts.
Darin Severs went 2-for-3 for the Jaguars. Reed Anderson and Alex Cory each added a hit.
Elijah Starr (1-3), the first of four Centennial pitchers, took the loss. He allowed six earned runs on five hits in the first two innings.
Valley’s Logan Hicks went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and two RBIs. Colton Roemmich and Stedman also drove in two runs apiece.
The Jaguars will play a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday at Sioux City North (25-9).
