Aubrey Lensmeyer and her Ankeny softball teammates were confident going into Saturday’s game at Ames–even though the contest looked like a mismatch on paper.
“We were the underdogs going into it, but I’m not surprised (by the result),” said Lensmeyer. ‘If this team plays our game, we can win and beat anyone.”
Lensmeyer tossed a seven-hitter and also played a key role in Ankeny’s four-run first inning as the Hawkettes posted a 5-1 victory in a Class 5A regional semifinal.
The loss ended a six-game winning streak for the ninth-ranked Little Cyclones, who finished the season at 30-11.
“Oh my gosh, I don’t even know if it’s set in yet,” said Ankeny coach Sarah Saladino, whose team improved to 13-26. “This is awesome. This is an awesome time of the year.”
The Hawkettes had lost to Ames, 12-10, in the quarterfinals of the Fort Dodge Invitational on June 20. Ames’ top pitcher, Sydney Smalley, made only a brief appearance in that game, but it was long enough to help Ankeny’s hitters prepare for the rematch.
“We just knew she was going to throw us changeups,” said Ankeny shortstop Tenley Heidemann. “She had two signature pitches–her fast and her change. We just expected it and practiced a lot for it.”
Heidemann had a leadoff double in the fourth inning and an RBI single in the fifth, but it was Ankeny’s outburst in the first that eventually proved to be the difference. The Hawkettes bunched together four singles to take the early lead.
“Morgan (Fisher) and Avery (Nelson) did their job getting on first, and KK (Kaylyn Miller) was able to move them,” Lensmeyer said. “Sash (Sarah Munger) hit one in, and then I hit them in. We just kept it going. It was great.”
The four-run cushion took some of the pressure off Lensmeyer, who got out of a jam in the bottom of the frame by fanning Smalley to leave the bases loaded.
“Once we get a lead and I know we can score runs, it’s just very relaxing,” Lensmeyer said. “I can trust my pitches.”
Lensmeyer (10-12) got plenty of help from her defense. Jaya Theilen hit a one-out double off the glove of leftfielder Fisher in the third inning, but was then thrown out trying to take an extra base.
“It was a little bit of a tighter strike zone, so I was just trusting my spin with the curve and rise,” Lensmeyer said. “Just getting them to put the ball in play and trusting my team to make the outs. It was awesome.”
Perhaps Lensmeyer’s only mistake came in the fourth inning, when Josie Theilen led off with a solo homer to center field. It was her sixth home run of the season.
“Just missed my spot a little bit,” Lensmeyer said with a smile.
Heidemann, a freshman, got that run back for Ankeny in the top of the fifth. Her two-out single scored Nelson, who had reached on an error.
“We just went out there thinking it’s all or nothing,” Heidemann said. “We wanted to do it for our seniors–that was really it. We just had that mindset throughout the whole game.”
The Little Cyclones threatened again in the bottom of the inning. Kaylee Mescher and Jaya Theilen hit back-to-back singles with one out.
But Lensmeyer fanned Camryn Johnson, then retired Josie Theilen on a harmless dribbler to first baseman Emma Hutchens, who made an easy tag to end the inning.
“That was a big momentum pusher for sure,” Lensmeyer said.
Lensmeyer later retired Josie Theilen again on a grounder to Miller at third to end the game.
“She was composed, just solid there on the mound,” Saladino said. “She was locked in and ready to go. She took some time earlier in the week to prepare. She had a couple pitching lessons, so she was like, ‘Coach, I’m ready to go.’ And she was.”
Ankeny is one of five teams with a losing record still alive in the Class 5A tournament. Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Dowling Catholic both pulled off semifinal upsets in Region 5, assuring that at least one sub-.500 team will make it to the state tournament.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Saladino said. “I think the big thing our kids talk about is when we have pressure, we are relaxed and we just get after it. We prepared how we needed to and got done what we needed to. I have all the trust and faith in our team.”
Heidemann said the Hawkettes don’t even feel any pressure.
“We just play as a team, and we just like to work through it,” she said. “We’re really good at staying on our ground and who we play for.”
The Hawkettes will play at No. 3 Southeast Polk (30-10) in the regional final on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Rams advanced with a 10-0 win over Marshalltown in four innings, getting a home run, a double and four RBIs from Jesslyn Stairs.
This will be the fourth time in the last six years that the two CIML Conference rivals have met in regional play. Ankeny posted a 6-2 win in last year’s regional final to earn a second consecutive trip to Fort Dodge, where the Hawkettes went on to place fourth.
“We’re going to enjoy this tonight and then get back to work (on Sunday),” Saladino said.
The two teams split a doubleheader on June 5 at Southeast Polk. The Rams then posted an 8-5 victory at Ankeny in eight innings on July 1.
“I’m really excited for that matchup,” Lensmeyer said. “We’ve played them three times already. They’ve beaten us twice, but it’s really hard to beat a team a third time. I think it’ll be a great game.”
