With 10 games on the schedule over the next six days, the Ankeny softball team was hoping to start its busy week with a victory over a ranked opponent.
Unfortunately, visiting Valley had other ideas.
The No. 3 Tigers jumped out a 3-0 lead in the first inning, added six more runs in the second and went on to defeat Ankeny, 11-1, in four innings on Monday.
The Hawkettes scored their lone run in the bottom of the first on a homer by Kensington Arringdale. It was her team-leading fifth blast of the season.
But Ankeny was then shut down the rest of the way by Maddie Zlomke. She allowed just four hits, walked one and had four strikeouts.
Valley’s Lily Finn had a sacrifice fly in the first inning, then ripped a three-run homer to highlight her team’s outburst in the second. London Roe had two hits in the inning as the Tigers batted around–a solo homer and an RBI single.
Roe went 3-for-3 on the night. She later hit another RBI single in the fourth.
Valley took advantage of seven walks in the game. The Tigers stole six bases, two of them by Lillian Stamets.
Taylor Hinshaw (2-4) started in the circle for Ankeny. She allowed seven earned runs on four hits over the first 1 2/3 innings before Emma Munger came on in relief.
Ava Schlee went 2-for-2 with a double in the loss, which dropped the Hawkettes’ records to 3-6 in the CIML Conference and 5-8 overall. Valley improved to 9-2 and 14-4.
Ankeny will host a make-up conference doubleheader on Tuesday against No. 4 Southeast Polk, which is 3-6 in the league and 9-7 overall. The first game will resume in the bottom of the first inning with the Rams ahead, 2-0.
