Jaguars pound out 8 homers, 4 of them by Hatfield, in sweep over Dowling Catholic

Ankeny Centennial’s Mady Ott circles the bases after hitting one of her two home runs during the first game of Monday’s doubleheader at Dowling Catholic. The Jaguars hit eight homers on the night, four of them by Mylie Hatfield, and swept the twinbill by scores of 9-2 and 14-0. (Photo by Stephen McDaniel)

The ball was flying off the bats of the Ankeny Centennial softball players on Monday night.

The second-ranked Jaguars pounded out eight home runs in a doubleheader sweep at Dowling Catholic. They posted a 9-2 win in the opener before routing the Maroons, 14-0, in four innings in the second game.

Centennial now leads the entire state with 26 home runs, six more than Dallas Center-Grimes.

**Ankeny Centennial’s Ava Faber hits the ball during the first game of Monday’s doubleheader. She homered and had two RBIs in the Jaguars’ 9-2 win. (Photo by Stephen McDaniel)**

“It was definitely a great night for everyone and hitting can absolutely be contagious!” said Centennial senior Mylie Hatfield, who homered twice in both games. “The energy was super high all night, and it brought us a lot of success!”

Mady Ott had two solo homers in the first game, while Ava Faber homered and drove in two runs. Lydia Lacey added a solo blast in the nightcap.

“It was two very good wins against a really quality team,” said Centennial coach Brett Delaney. “The girls came focused to batting practice, and that carried over to the games.”

**Ankeny Centennial coach Brett Delaney talks to his players during a break between innings in Monday’s doubleheader. (Photo by Stephen McDaniel)**

Hatfield went 3-for-4 and also had a double in the opener. Cami Starr drove in a pair of runs, and Kori Lincicum had one RBI.

Lauren Sandholm (6-0) allowed five hits, walked none and had eight strikeouts to remain unbeaten. She gave up a solo homer to Kylie Matejski.

In the second game, Lincicum (2-0) allowed two hits and had four strikeouts over the first three innings.

**Ankeny Centennial’s Lauren Sandholm throws a pitch during the opener of Monday’s twinbill. She tossed a five-hitter and had eight strikeouts. (Photo by Stephen McDaniel)**

“We got two very solid outings in the circle from Kori and Lauren,” Delaney said. “It was a good start to a busy week.”

Hatfield, who now leads the team with six homers, had four RBIs in the nightcap. Jordyn Kennedy doubled and knocked in three runs.

Lincicum helped her own cause at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Faber went 2-for-3 with a double and also drove in two runs.

**Ankeny Centennial third baseman Jordyn Kennedy makes a throw to first for an out during Monday’s doubleheader. (Photo by Stephen McDaniel)**

The Jaguars remained atop the CIML Conference at 8-1 and improved to 11-1 overall. Dowling’s records dropped to 0-6 and 4-6.

No. 1 Waukee Northwest and No. 4 Valley kept pace with Centennial in the league race by also sweeping doubleheaders. The Wolves and Tigers are both 7-1 in the CIML.

The Jaguars will play a non-conference game on Tuesday at North Polk (5-6), the No. 9 team in Class 4A, before hosting a doubleheader against Valley on Thursday.