The Ankeny softball team pounded out 18 hits, seven of them for extra bases, and rolled to a 14-7 victory at Johnston in its CIML Conference opener on Wednesday.
Every Ankeny starter had at least one base hit, and six of them had multiple hits. The Hawkettes scored five runs in the seventh inning to seal the win after Johnston had rallied from an 8-1 deficit to pull within 9-7.
It was the season opener for the Dragons, who are 11th in the Class 5A preseason rankings from the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union.
“Production at the plate was instrumental in order to win tonight,” said Ankeny coach Sarah Saladino, whose team is now 2-1 overall. “As a staff we are very proud of the grit to score 14 runs. All the credit goes to the girls for setting a new standard each inning!”
Kensington Arringdale had another big game at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a home run, a double and four RBIs. She is now batting .800 with three homers and 11 RBIs in three games.
Reagan Hogan went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and three RBIs. Emerson Hutchins also homered, her second of the season, and drove in two runs.
Tenley Heidemann went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Sarah Munger went 2-for-5 with a double and knocked in a pair of runs.
Brylee Bach went 3-for-4 and had one RBI. Morgan Fisher went 3-for-5 and scored two runs.
Taylor Hinshaw (2-1) earned the victory, allowing five earned runs on nine hits. She walked three and had six strikeouts.
“The battery continued to battle each inning, and the defense made some key plays to get out of situations,” Saladino said.
Ankeny will travel to Waukee on Thursday for a conference doubleheader against the Warriors (2-1), who opened league play on Wednesday with a 6-0 loss at No. 2 Ankeny Centennial.
