After entering the week with a seven-game winning streak, the Ankeny baseball team is now on a five-game losing skid.
And with the postseason set to begin in less than 48 hours, the Hawks can’t afford another loss.
Ankeny closed out the regular season on Wednesday with a make-up doubleheader at third-ranked Johnston, which rallied for an 8-7 victory in the completion of a game that was suspended due to rain on June 18. The Dragons then finished off a sweep with a 7-0 win that allowed them to capture the outright CIML Conference championship.
“They were getting after it,” Balvanz said of the Dragons. “That team has gotten better since the first time we played them (on May 28), and coach (Michael) Barta’s teams usually do that.”
Ankeny held a 3-0 lead in the first game when play resumed. The Hawks extended the margin to 6-2 after five innings before Johnston rallied for three runs in the sixth.
After Ankeny got an insurance run in the top of the seventh, the Dragons rallied for three more runs in the bottom of the frame to earn the victory. Reliever Brady Carter (0-1) took the loss.
“We had them at the end there, but we made a few defensive miscues in the infield and the outfield that kind of cost us there late,” Balvanz said. “Brady had two strikes on the batter, but he just caught too much of the plate with a curveball and they hit it to right field to walk us off. But our kids fought hard and never gave up. They had great energy in the dugout, and great attitudes and effort on the field. Baseball can go that way sometimes.”
Jackson Romig went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs for the Hawks. RJ St. Romain went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Kinnick Vos went 2-for-3 and scored a pair of runs.
Will Davies had two RBIs for Ankeny. Carter added a double.
Johnston’s Sam Kinney went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and four RBIs. Max Mincks went 2-for-2 with a solo homer.
“I thought we did a great job of coming out and extending the lead right away,” Balvanz said. “But Johnston does a great job of hitting fastballs whether they are inside or outside. (Mincks) hit one out of the ballpark, and they just kept plugging away.”
In the second game, Balvanz rested his regulars against Johnston starter Mitch Naig, who allowed just four hits and had 10 strikeouts over the first six innings.
“It was time for rest for Friday,” Balvanz said. “But the guys that I asked to go out there and compete did a nice job I thought and represented our program well. They battled, and I was proud of some of the seniors who were out there and we got some young guys some varsity experience too, and that’s always a positive as we look to the future.”
Ronnie Zimmerman had a double for the Hawks. Brayden Kern (1-1) took the loss, allowing two earned runs on four hits over three innings of work.
Will Nuss and Ahvyance Taylor each homered and had two RBIs for the Dragons, who finished 17-7 in the conference and improved to 24-11 overall. Ankeny’s records dropped to 8-16 and 14-24.
The Hawks will travel to Indianola on Friday for a Class 4A substate quarterfinal against the No. 7 Indians (30-5), who have won 24 of their last 26 games. Indianola sophomore George Blake, the son of former major leaguer Casey Blake, boasts an 8-0 mark with a 1.17 ERA.
“I know that family well,” Balvanz said of the Blakes. “Casey’s dad was our pitching coach at Simpson.”
Ankeny is expected to counter with Davies. The junior righthander has a pedestrian 1-3 record with a 2.38 ERA, but has been dominant at times.
“He’s ready to roll,” Balvanz said.