The Ankeny Centennial softball team seemed destined to break the state’s all-time single-season home run record during Wednesday’s doubleheader at Ankeny.
It took only five pitches for the second-ranked Jaguars to make some history in the first game.
Leadoff batter Kori Lincicum hit a three-ball, one-strike pitch from Sophie Schoeppner well beyond the left-field fence for the team’s 62nd home run of the season. Centennial eclipsed the previous mark of 61 that was set by Pleasant Valley in 2024.
“I was looking forward to that chance, but I’m going to be completely honest,” said Lincicum, who blasted her 10th homer of the year. “I had full faith in my teammates and I just go up there hoping to get a base hit and I hope to get things started, because if you see a hit you get a hit. I was hoping that it would just let my other teammates get that opportunity, but I’m very grateful that I got that opportunity.”
Centennial eventually increased its season total to 66 home runs by the end of the night. Delaney Wyble, Jordyn Kennedy, Mylie Hatfield and Ava Faber also homered as the Jaguars swept the doubleheader by scores of 9-1 and 15-7.
“We never really talked about (breaking the record), but I think in the dugout we all knew it would probably happen at the top of our lineup–Jordyn and Mady (Ott) are really good hitters,” said Wyble. “I think we all knew one of us would hit it.”
Ott hit a three-run homer on Monday night to tie the record. The blast also gave the Jaguars a 5-3 come-from-behind win over No. 6 Southeast Polk.
“Once Mady tied it, we knew it would be happening tonight,” Hatfield said.
As she stepped into the batter’s box, Lincicum wasn’t sure if the conditions were favorable to hit the ball out of the park. A fairly strong breeze out of the west threatened to knock down any balls in the air to left field.
The wind offered little resistance, though, when Lincicum got ahold of Schoeppner’s pitch.
“I actually didn’t (think it was going out),” Lincicum said. “I thought it was going to blow back in. I told (coach Brett) Delaney because he was like, ‘Oh, like maybe the wind will get us.’ But I had my faith in my Jags that we could do it.”
Lincicum’s blast set the tone for the rest of the night. Wyble added a three-run shot later in the inning, her fifth of the season, to give Centennial a 5-0 lead.
Unlike Lincicum’s homer, Wyble’s roundtripper barely cleared the fence in left field.
“I thought it was going to be caught, but I’m happy it went over,” Wyble said.
Backed by the early run support, Centennial sophomore Peyten Spiegel cruised to the win. She allowed just one hit and had 10 strikeouts in the five-inning contest.
“It’s a lot easier (to pitch with a lead) because I know Ankeny is a good hitting team so I had to go right at them,” Spiegel said.
Kennedy extended the margin to 8-0 with a three-run homer in the fourth. It was her team-leading 16th of the season and the 65th of her career.
Kennedy needs just six more homers to tie the all-time state record of 71 that was set by former Ankeny and Centennial star Kendyl Lindaman.
“It’d be cool to break (the record), but I think winning a state title would be even cooler,” said Kennedy, who went 2-for-2 and also had a double.
After Hatfield doubled and scored on a bunt single by Lauren Bartine to make it 9-0, Ankeny got its only run in the bottom of the inning. Kensington Arringdale blasted a solo homer with one out to break up Spiegel’s no-hit bid.
“I knew she was throwing rise, so my mentality was just see ball hit ball,” Arringdale said. “Kind of aim for more of a ground ball so I wasn’t getting under it, and clearly I didn’t get under it too much and I was able to get it out.”
It was Spiegel’s only mistake of the game.
“I missed my zone,” she said. “I spun it back to the inside on accident, but it’s ok.”
Schoeppner (1-1) took the loss, allowing five earned runs on two hits and three walks. She gave up a sacrifice fly to Hatfield before Wyble’s homer forced Ankeny coach Sarah Saladino to make an early change, bringing Sarah Munger on in relief.
Munger allowed just three earned runs on six hits over the final 4 2/3 innings.
“We had a plan, and our pitchers did great,” Saladino said. “Some balls got out, but they did what we needed them to do.”
In the nightcap, the Jaguars jumped out to an early 4-0 lead before Ankeny rallied for seven unanswered runs against Centennial starter Lauren Sandholm. Arringdale capped the rally with a three-run homer in the fourth, her ninth of the season, to give the Hawkettes a 7-4 advantage.
Both Arringdale and Sandholm are committed to play for Mississippi State.
“That felt good because the last time we played them I struck out twice, and I was so in my head,” said Arringdale, who went 2-for-4 and knocked in four runs. “But this game I was like, ‘Let’s just have fun.’ I’ve hit off her many times, and it’s a fun, little rivalry we have going on.”
Spiegel then came in to replace Sandholm and shut Ankeny down the rest of the way. She allowed just one hit and had four strikeouts over the final 3 1/3 innings.
“I think she just has great spin, and we haven’t seen that at all for like the last week,” Arringdale said. “There are some great pitchers in the CIML, but Centennial has a loaded, stacked roster.”
Spiegel (13-0) earned her second win of the night when the Jaguars rallied for three runs in the fifth and eight more in the seventh to extend their winning streak to 21 games. She lowered her ERA to 0.95.
“Peyten came in and did what she needed to do,” Delaney said. “She had a great first game, and then she had to come on in relief of Lauren and between those two and the rest of our staff, we’re excited for what’s ahead with the postseason.”
Hatfield hit an RBI double in the fifth to ignite Centennial’s rally against Emma Munger (3-10). She earlier hit a three-run homer, her 11th of the season.
“We had confidence in ourselves coming in here, and we showed it,” said Hatfield, who went 3-for-5 and drove in five runs. “It was nice.”
Wyble then followed with a two-run single to tie it. She is now batting .333 after hitting just .162 in 37 at-bats as a junior.
“Pitchers are probably a lot more relaxed when they get through Jordyn and Mady and Kori, because they’re all very good hitters and you never know–one pitch and it’s gone,” Wyble said. “But I feel like I’ve gotten more comfortable at the plate and I feel good. I know I can hit the ball, and I just have to get up there with that mindset.”
Wyble later fouled off several pitches before drawing a walk to begin Centennial’s seventh-inning outburst. Gracie Anderson followed with an infield single, then Sandholm bunted and reached on an error to load the bases.
Cami Starr drove in the go-ahead run with a bunt that scored Wyble. Lincicum hit a two-run double, then Faber followed with a three-run homer–her fourth of the year–to make it 13-7.
“They just don’t panic up at the plate, no matter what situation they get put in. They’re ready to go,” Delaney said. “In that seventh inning when the game was tied, it was our 6-7-8 hitters coming up and they had all the confidence in the world and we had all the confidence in the world in them to get it done. Nothing surprises me. I just trust in those guys.”
Lincicum never doubted that her team would come back.
“We were down 9-1 against Waukee, and I knew we were coming back then too,” she said.
Hatfield and Anderson each added an RBI single for Centennial, which improved to 16-1 in the CIML Conference and 28-1 overall. The Hawkettes’ records dropped to 6-12 and 10-16.
“It feels great,” Hatfield said. “Obviously, when you play your crosstown rivals, records don’t really matter. The energy is always high the whole time, so it’s fun.”
Ankeny’s Morgan Fisher went 3-for-4 and scored a pair of runs in the loss. Avery Nelson went 2-for-4 and also scored twice, while Tenley Heidemann added a two-run single.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Saladino said. “I know it’s hard and congrats to Centennial–that’s awesome and we love all the Ankeny girls. But the way our girls competed in that second game, I just can’t say enough great things about it, especially our pitching. We have some young pitchers, but you could just see it in their eyes that they were ready to get after it.”
Arringdale was also proud of her team’s effort.
“I count that as a win in our books,” she said. “They’re ranked No. 1 or No. 2, and we’re not but I feel like we should be because we’ve done some great things. We’re just having fun and doing our best. I think it was awesome that we could even stay in the game with them.”
The Jaguars will travel to Waukee Northwest on Thursday for a huge doubleheader against the No. 1 Wolves, who are now 14-2 in the league and 26-2 overall after splitting a twinbill with No. 3 Valley on Wednesday. Centennial’s only loss came to Northwest, 6-5, on June 4.
“We held them close last time, so I think we’ll break through this time,” Kennedy said.
A split would allow the Jaguars to maintain their game and a half lead over Northwest, but Lincicum said her team will be looking to earn a sweep. The Wolves are expected to be without star sophomore Sophia Schlader, who has 14 homers in 23 games and boasts a 19-0 record with a 0.62 ERA.
“I think we’re ready for it, and I think we’re going to go kick some butt,” she said.
Ankeny, meanwhile, will play a conference game at Southeast Polk. The Rams are 6-11 in the league and 16-12 overall after splitting with No. 7 Dowling Catholic on Wednesday.
The Hawkettes swept Southeast Polk on June 16.
