Ankeny Fanatic

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Baseball

Ankeny’s Maifeld to play in IHSBCA All-Star Games

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Ankeny senior Jayden Maifeld will play for the Large Schools West in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Games on Thursday through Sunday in Iowa City. Each of the four all-star teams will play a round-robin schedule from Thursday through Saturday. The consolation and championship games will then be played on Sunday. Maifeld … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Maifeld to play in IHSBCA All-Star Games

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Seth Harpenau, Ankeny baseball

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Senior Seth Harpenau helped the Ankeny baseball team to a 21-17 record. The Hawks finished their season with a 6-0 loss at second-ranked Urbandale in a Class 4A substate final on Wednesday. Harpenau batted .304 with seven doubles, one triple and 16 RBIs. He received all-conference honorable mention for the second straight year. Here is some inside info … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Seth Harpenau, Ankeny baseball

Hard-throwing Patzner shuts down Hawks in substate final

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Wednesday's substate baseball final between unranked Ankeny and No. 2 Urbandale was a classic David vs. Goliath matchup. This time, Goliath prevailed. Luke Patzner tossed a two-hitter and had 10 strikeouts to lead the host J-Hawks to a 6-0 victory in a Class 4A Substate 7 final. The loss ended a seven-game winning streak for Ankeny, which finished the … [Read more...] about Hard-throwing Patzner shuts down Hawks in substate final

Seth Harpenau’s walk-off hit allows Hawks to survive and advance

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Seth Harpenau wasn't trying to be a hero. The Ankeny senior was simply trying to drive in the tying run during Monday's Class 4A substate baseball semifinal against visiting Des Moines East. He ended up getting a walk-off hit. Harpenau stroked a two-run single into right field to give the Hawks a thrilling 5-4 victory that moved them one step closer … [Read more...] about Seth Harpenau’s walk-off hit allows Hawks to survive and advance

Maifeld hurls Hawks past Newton in substate quarterfinal

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When the Newton baseball team scored an unearned run in the first inning of Friday's Class 4A substate quarterfinal at Ankeny, it gave the Cardinals some early momentum against one of the state's best pitchers. "I was a little worried before the game--I don't know why," said Ankeny senior righthander Jayden Maifeld. "And then when that happened, I … [Read more...] about Maifeld hurls Hawks past Newton in substate quarterfinal

Homers by Brecht, Agan power Hawks past Gilbert in regular-season finale

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The Ankeny baseball team will take a five-game winning streak into postseason play after posting a 10-4 victory at Gilbert in its regular-season finale on Tuesday. The Hawks took a 4-0 lead in the first inning, then added two runs in the third, three in the fourth and one more in the fifth. They pounded out 12 hits off three Gilbert pitchers, five of them … [Read more...] about Homers by Brecht, Agan power Hawks past Gilbert in regular-season finale

Blimpie Sub of the Week: Garrett Stiles, Ankeny baseball

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Garrett Stiles of the Ankeny baseball team is the Ankeny Fanatic Sub of the Week sponsored by Blimpie. Stiles is batting .172 with one double and three RBIs. He hit a two-run single in the sixth inning to give the Hawks a 3-2 victory at then-No. 9 Southeast Polk on June 4. Stiles has helped Ankeny to a 19-16 record. The Hawks will host Newton in a … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: Garrett Stiles, Ankeny baseball

Hawks show they’re ‘comfortable playing behind’ Maifeld during Monday’s sweep

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The Ankeny baseball team entered Monday's non-conference doubleheader at Des Moines Roosevelt with a .500 record. The Hawks showed in the first game, however, that they're better than that with Jayden Maifeld on the mound. Maifeld tossed five strong innings in a tune-up for postseason play to lead Ankeny to a 10-4 victory. The Hawks then completed a … [Read more...] about Hawks show they’re ‘comfortable playing behind’ Maifeld during Monday’s sweep

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Jayden Maifeld, Ankeny baseball

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Ankeny senior Jayden Maifeld is one of the state's top pitchers. He tossed a four-hitter to lead the Hawks to a 12-0 victory over Ames in five innings on Thursday. Maifeld has compiled a 4-3 record with a 1.65 ERA. He has racked up 48 strikeouts while allowing just 11 walks. Maifeld has also been the Hawks' top hitter this season. He is batting .384 … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Jayden Maifeld, Ankeny baseball

Hawks fall twice to Fort Dodge on their Senior Night

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The Ankeny baseball team was hoping to use a Senior Night doubleheader to get back above the .500 mark. Instead, the Hawks saw their losing streak extended to five games as visiting Fort Dodge swept both games of a non-conference twinbill on Tuesday, 6-4 and 2-0. The Dodgers snapped their own five-game losing streak while improving to 13-18 on the … [Read more...] about Hawks fall twice to Fort Dodge on their Senior Night

Walk-off win allows Tigers to claim outright conference title

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The Valley baseball team had already clinched at least a share of the CIML Central Conference title heading into Monday's doubleheader against visiting Ankeny. The Tigers were determined to capture the outright crown. Valley swept the twinbill by scores of 6-5 and 4-1 to finish with a 15-5 record in the league. The Tigers improved to 24-12 … [Read more...] about Walk-off win allows Tigers to claim outright conference title

Maifeld tosses 3-hitter, leads Hawks to split against No. 6 S.E. Polk

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When Jayden Maifeld is at the top of his game, the Ankeny baseball team can be pretty dangerous. Maifeld tossed a three-hitter and had eight strikeouts to lead the Hawks to a 5-2 victory over sixth-ranked Southeast Polk in the first game of a CIML Central Conference doubleheader on Saturday at Ankeny. "I felt great," said Maifeld, who evened his record … [Read more...] about Maifeld tosses 3-hitter, leads Hawks to split against No. 6 S.E. Polk

Hawks bounce back to win nightcap, earn split against Waukee

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Ankeny baseball coach Joe Balvanz wanted to use both Cameron Rinker and Chris Spear on the mound during Wednesday's doubleheader against visiting Waukee. He is also hoping to get some innings out of both pitchers during Saturday's make-up twinbill against sixth-ranked Southeast Polk. The only solution was to split Wednesday's second game between the … [Read more...] about Hawks bounce back to win nightcap, earn split against Waukee

After long layoff, Hawks fall to Heelan, then roll past Bettendorf

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It took awhile, but the Ankeny baseball team finally got its offense untracked during the Brent Prange Classic on Saturday. After dropping a 2-1 decision to Sioux City Heelan, the Hawks fell behind Bettendorf, 1-0, in their second game of the tournament. Ankeny scored twice in the third inning to take a 2-1 lead. The Hawks then erupted for six runs in … [Read more...] about After long layoff, Hawks fall to Heelan, then roll past Bettendorf

Hawks rally past Valley in nightcap, salvage split of twinbill

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The Valley baseball team had a chance to take a commanding lead in the CIML Central Conference race on Wednesday. The Tigers posted a 6-3 victory in the first game of a doubleheader at Ankeny, then jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap. But the Hawks refused to go away. Ankeny rallied for a 9-8 walk-off win and a split of the … [Read more...] about Hawks rally past Valley in nightcap, salvage split of twinbill

Blimpie Sub of the Week: Jake Slattery, Ankeny baseball

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Jake Slattery of the Ankeny baseball team is the Ankeny Fanatic Sub of the Week sponsored by Blimpie. The senior has helped the Hawks to a 9-6 record, including a 5-3 mark in the CIML Central Conference. "Jake usually plays left field and is just a very solid defender," said Ankeny coach Joe Balvanz. "He's a defensive replacement, and he knows his job … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: Jake Slattery, Ankeny baseball

Waukee’s Sorenson, Irvine shut down Hawks en route to sweep

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The Ankeny baseball team had a chance to score some early runs during Monday's doubleheader at Waukee. When the Hawks failed to capitalize on the opportunity, they never again had a similar chance to gain some momentum. The seventh-ranked Warriors posted a 2-0 victory in the opener, then completed a sweep with a 9-0 win in the second game. Both teams … [Read more...] about Waukee’s Sorenson, Irvine shut down Hawks en route to sweep

Casel tosses 3-hitter, leads Hawks to split at Southeast Polk

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Ankeny lefthander Will Casel recorded only one strikeout during the first game of a CIML Central Conference baseball doubleheader on Monday at Southeast Polk. But the senior was still very effective. Casel tossed a three-hitter and retired 13 batters on fly balls as the Hawks extended their winning streak to seven games with a 3-2 victory in the opener … [Read more...] about Casel tosses 3-hitter, leads Hawks to split at Southeast Polk

Maifeld, Rinker hurl back-to-back gems in Hawks’ sweep over Ames

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Ankeny pitcher Jayden Maifeld tossed a gem in the first game of a doubleheader against visiting Ames on Thursday. Then teammate Cameron Rinker threw another one in the nightcap, allowing the Hawks to sweep the CIML Central Conference opener. "It's fun to watch those two guys talk to each other. They kind of feed off each other," said Ankeny coach Joe … [Read more...] about Maifeld, Rinker hurl back-to-back gems in Hawks’ sweep over Ames