Despite losing all-stater Katie Quick to graduation, the Ankeny Christian Academy softball team is having another successful season in 2026.
The Eagles remained unbeaten in the Bluegrass Conference with a 4-3 victory over visiting Melcher-Dallas on Thursday at North Polk Middle School. They are now 12-0 in the league and 13-3 overall.
“The girls are off to a great start,” said ACA coach James Crosby. “We knew we would have a solid team this year.”
After Melcher-Dallas (5-9) scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 3-2 lead, the Eagles answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame. They then held on for the win to defeat the Saints for the second time this season.
Brette Bentz scattered seven hits to earn the victory. She allowed just one earned run while recording four strikeouts.
Katelyn Weathers led the offense, going 2-for-2 with a double and a triple. She was also hit by a pitch and scored three of the team’s four runs.
Sicily Crosby went 2-for-3 and had one RBI. Gabbie Quick and Bentz also drove in runs.
Bentz has taken over much of the pitching duties after transferring to ACA from Ankeny. She has compiled a 9-3 record with a 2.22 ERA, while fellow senior Crosby has posted a 4-0 mark with a 1.59 ERA.
Sophomore shortstop Breeze Bentz has been the team’s top hitter. Bentz, who was playing with her club team at a tournament on Thursday, ranks second in Class 1A with a .650 average.
Bentz has four home runs, two triples and nine doubles among her 26 hits. She has knocked in 15 runs while posting a 1.275 slugging percentage.
Weathers, a junior, is batting .516 with two homers and 15 RBIs in just nine games. She is slugging at a .935 rate.
Quick, an eighth grader, is batting .463 with one homer and 19 RBIs. She is tied for the team lead in RBIs with Crosby, who is batting .400 with six doubles.
Brette Bentz has also been a major contributor at the plate. She is batting .432 with one homer, eight doubles and 15 RBIs.
The Eagles have relied on some younger players like Quick and Maleah Porter, another eighth grader, to offset the departure of Katie Quick–who led the team to a 17-3 record a year ago before starting her collegiate volleyball career at Drake. Porter is batting .250 with 14 RBIs.
“We had a strong core returning and have a ton of young talent to complement them,” Crosby said. “Our senior leadership has been instrumental in bringing those younger athletes along. This team is getting better each week, and our best ball is still ahead of us.
“I’m excited to see how far they can go,” he added.
