(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
The last regional championship game Lauren Sandholm played in with the Ankeny Centennial softball team ended with a heart-breaking defeat.
But after a season away from the squad, the star pitcher’s return to the lineup alongside her twin sister, Audrey, was more than enough to help the second-ranked Jaguars back to Fort Dodge for the Class 5A state tournament in her junior season.
Lauren tossed six shutout innings and drove in the walk-off run, while Audrey scored two of the team’s runs as a pinch-runner in Centennial’s 8-0 victory over visiting Muscatine in six innings in the Region 2 final on Tuesday.
“It’s awesome,” Sandholm said after the Jaguars (38-3) advanced to state for the fifth time in the last seven years. “Two years ago when I was on the squad, we lost in this regional final. So I think there was a little extra push to go and get this game. Seeing the success from last season was another factor that pushed us to get this win and head to the state tournament.”
Sandholm was a big contributor for the Jaguars during her first two seasons in the program. She posted a 13-1 record with a 1.08 ERA in the circle as an eighth grader during Centennial’s run to the Class 5A crown in 2023.
In her freshman year, Sandholm recorded a 14-7 mark with a 1.58 ERA and 150 strikeouts but saw the year come to an end when the Jaguars suffered a 3-0 shutout loss to Waukee in the regional final.
Lauren and Audrey both focused on club ball during their sophomore seasons, and it led to both of them making college commitments with Lauren headed to Mississippi State and Audrey to Missouri State.
“Those are two very special players, and we’re very fortunate to have them,” Centennial coach Brett Delaney said of the Sandholms. “They’ve been a special part all the way through. Lauren was special in the circle, and Audrey caused some havoc on the basepaths tonight.”
Lauren played a big role on Tuesday both in the circle and in the batter’s box.
Fresh off a 14-run outing against Iowa City Liberty in a regional semifinal, Muscatine failed to get any runners across home plate. It took Sandholm 93 pitches to record the shutout where she allowed only five hits and four walks while tallying six strikeouts.
“My goal is always to attack hitters, that’s what I’m always thinking and that’s what our coaches are telling us,” said Sandholm, who raised her record to 11-0. “Letting my defense work is something that’s important too. Ava Faber made some great plays tonight (at second base), and that was awesome.”
Sandholm also contributed a team-high three hits, which included a single in the bottom of the sixth that scored the walk-off run for the run rule victory over the Muskies (20-16).
Audrey helped the Jaguars score a big run as a pinch-runner in the fourth inning, when she caught Muscatine off-guard by sliding home safe on a delayed steal from third base following a Kori Linicicum walk.
“Every once in a while, there’s an element of surprise,” Delaney said. “We saw a few things in the game that happened and picked up a few things on tape. We just found a way to execute things tonight, and it came to fruition. Audrey believed in herself and knew she’d execute (the steal) there.”
With Lauren holding things down in the circle, all the Jaguars needed was for their bats to do what they’ve done all season.
Linicicum set the tone early for Centennial.
She faced a full count as the Jaguars’ leadoff batter in the bottom of the first inning, and the senior outfielder crushed her 17th homer of the season to give them an early 1-0 advantage.
“I saw everything high and curve, so I thought that I probably want to lay off of it, but the umpire was calling it,” Lincicum said of her first at-bat. “I saw a changeup in the dirt with my hand up and thought, ‘Oh gosh, she’s mixing speeds a little bit.’ So I was sitting outside curve, I got my hands there in time and sent it over the fence.”
Jordyn Kennedy added another run in the bottom of the third by hitting a hard grounder to short and beating the throw to first base for an infield hit.
Cami Starr hit a sacrifice fly to score a pinch-running Lydia Lacey right before Audrey Sandholm, who is playing her first school season, stole home to double the Jaguars’ lead to 4-0 in the fourth.
Centennial recorded four consecutive hits in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 7-0.
Mylie Hatfield hit a one-out double, Delaney Wyble drove her in with a single, Lauren Sandholm followed with another RBI single, and Emmy Ott capped the outburst with an RBI double.
“I’m grateful just for the opportunity to play both ways on this lineup that’s filled with great hitters,” Sandholm said. “Having the six hitters in front of me in the lineup is also good confidence because I know I don’t have to do it all, and I can trust the huge bats in our lineup.”
The Jaguars put themselves in a spot to walk it off after Mady Ott drew a walk and Hatfield singled to open the bottom of the sixth.
Sandholm then delivered the single that ended the game.
Now, there’s a good chance that the second-seeded Jaguars will see only CIML Conference teams if they’re able to make a run to the Class 5A title game.
Centennial will open up the tournament on Monday by facing No. 7 Dowling Catholic (20-16) at 4:15 p.m. The game will be played on Triton Field at Harlan Rogers Park.
No. 3 Valley (33-8) and No. 6 Southeast Polk (24-16) are the other teams in the lower half of the bracket. Under a new double-elimination format, it will now take three wins–instead of two–to reach Friday’s championship game.
No. 1 Waukee Northwest (36-4), the defending champion, is among the teams in the top half of the bracket.
“I feel pretty confident,” Lincicum said. “If we look at wins and losses, we’re conference champions and I think we have something to prove up in Fort Dodge.”The Jaguars won all three meetings against Dowling during the regular season, including a come-from-behind 9-8 victory in eight innings on July 1. They also swept Southeast Polk and went 2-1 against Valley.
Valley was one of only two teams to hand Centennial a loss during the regular season. The Jaguars’ other two losses were to Waukee Northwest.
“It’s just one game at a time, and we can’t take anything for granted,” Delaney said. “Right now, we granted ourselves at least two more games up in Fort Dodge and another week of practice. That’s the biggest thing with this postseason run. We get another week of practice with not only our seniors, but our juniors and sophomores that will be back next year.”
