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Softball

‘You could feel this’: Ankeny girls blank Wolves, will face No. 1 Valley in semifinals

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On paper, the ninth-ranked Ankeny softball team appeared to be facing an uphill battle against No. 4 Waukee Northwest in Monday's Class 5A quarterfinals at the state tournament. Ankeny coach Dave Bingham, though, had plenty of confidence in his squad. "I don't know if a team was more prepared for a game in all of my years of coaching," Bingham said … [Read more...] about ‘You could feel this’: Ankeny girls blank Wolves, will face No. 1 Valley in semifinals

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Avery Nelson, Ankeny softball

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Sophomore outfielder Avery Nelson has helped the ninth-ranked Ankeny softball team to a 21-20 record and a second consecutive trip to the Class 5A state tournament. She is batting .362 on the season with 13 RBIs. Nelson leads the Hawkettes with 138 at-bats, 50 hits, 41 singles, eight doubles and 21 stolen bases. She ranks second on the squad with 26 runs … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Avery Nelson, Ankeny softball

State softball preview: 5 CIML schools begin quest for Class 5A title on Monday

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The state softball tournament gets under way on Monday with the Class 5A quarterfinals at Harlan Rogers Park. The Class 5A field includes the top four teams in the final rankings, but a rash of upsets in regional play also saw three teams ranked ninth or lower make it to Fort Dodge along with unranked Cedar Rapids Prairie. Will the upsets continue this … [Read more...] about State softball preview: 5 CIML schools begin quest for Class 5A title on Monday

‘We have some unfinished business’: Hawkettes top S.E. Polk, earn trip to state

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The struggles of early July have been long forgotten by the Ankeny softball players. The ninth-ranked Hawkettes are headed to the state tournament. Abby Rusher tossed a six-hitter and Kensington Arringdale hit a home run to lead Ankeny past No. 10 Southeast Polk, 6-2, in a Class 5A regional final on Tuesday at Ankeny. The Hawkettes (21-20), who ended … [Read more...] about ‘We have some unfinished business’: Hawkettes top S.E. Polk, earn trip to state

Ankeny’s Rusher, Centennial’s Starr to play in Senior All-Star Softball Classic

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Seniors Abby Rusher of Ankeny and Addi Starr of Ankeny Centennial have been selected to play in the Senior All-Star Softball Classic on July 27 at Waukee. Rusher will be a member of the Red Team coached by Katie Burman of Clarksville and Andy Pals of Waukee. Starr will play for the White Team coached by Troy Houge of Collins-Maxwell and Megan Anderson of … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Rusher, Centennial’s Starr to play in Senior All-Star Softball Classic

Ankeny softball quartet, Centennial trio earn IGCA academic all-state honors

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Four Ankeny softball players and three from Ankeny Centennial have been named to the academic all-state team by the Iowa Girls' Coaches Association. The Hawkettes were represented by Marah Hansen, Hannah Howard, Cassie Johnson and Ava Tomlinson. The Jaguars, meanwhile, placed Payton Drefke, Addie Pollock and McKenna Vallejo on the squad. Pollock earned … [Read more...] about Ankeny softball quartet, Centennial trio earn IGCA academic all-state honors

‘We knew we could get the job done’: Lensmeyer, Ankeny girls oust Wahawks

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It wasn't ideal for the Ankeny softball team to be entering postseason play on the heels of a six-game losing streak. The lack of momentum didn't seem to bother Aubrey Lensmeyer. The junior combined with Abby Rusher on a three-hitter and also hit a home run to lead the ninth-ranked Hawkettes to a 6-2 victory over visiting Waterloo West in a Class 5A … [Read more...] about ‘We knew we could get the job done’: Lensmeyer, Ankeny girls oust Wahawks

‘Softball is a tough sport’: Hawkettes fall below .500 mark with loss to Indianola

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The Ankeny softball team fell below the .500 mark for the first time since its season opener on Monday, dropping a 4-2 decision to visiting Indianola for its sixth consecutive loss. The eighth-ranked Hawkettes slipped to 19-20 on the season. Indianola raised its record to 19-17. "Softball is a tough sport, and we're feeling it," said Ankeny coach Dave … [Read more...] about ‘Softball is a tough sport’: Hawkettes fall below .500 mark with loss to Indianola

Dubuque Wahlert, Carlisle extend Hawkettes’ losing streak to 4 games

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It's been a season of twists and turns for the Ankeny softball team. Now, with the postseason just around the corner, the eighth-ranked Hawkettes need to find their mojo. Ankeny dropped a pair of games to rated opponents at the Carlisle tournament on Friday, extending its losing streak to four games--matching a season-high. The Hawkettes fell to … [Read more...] about Dubuque Wahlert, Carlisle extend Hawkettes’ losing streak to 4 games

No. 1 Valley sweeps Hawkettes, moves into four-way tie atop CIML Conference

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The Ankeny softball team ran into a buzzsaw on Monday night. Top-ranked Valley extended its winning streak to 15 games by sweeping a doubleheader at No. 6 Ankeny. The Tigers overcame an early 2-0 deficit to post a 16-4 victory in the opener, then completed the sweep with a 7-3 triumph. Valley moved into a four-way tie for first place in the CIML … [Read more...] about No. 1 Valley sweeps Hawkettes, moves into four-way tie atop CIML Conference

‘A lot of kids stepped up’: Hawkettes blank Ballard after falling to No. 1 North Polk

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The Ankeny softball team bounced back from a 2-0 loss to North Polk with a 7-0 victory over Ballard at the Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational on Friday. Both games reversed the outcome from a contest earlier this season. The sixth-ranked Hawkettes (19-14) avenged a 4-1 loss to Ballard on May 25 at Winterset. Abby Rusher tossed a three-hitter and had 11 … [Read more...] about ‘A lot of kids stepped up’: Hawkettes blank Ballard after falling to No. 1 North Polk

‘I really wanted to beat them’: Arringdale, Ankeny girls earn split against Jaguars

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Ankeny's Kensington Arringdale grew up on the north side of town. That's why she wanted to beat rival Ankeny Centennial so bad. "I went there (to the north feeder schools) from first to ninth grade," said Arringdale, a sophomore shortstop. After earlier hitting a pair of home runs, Arringdale drove in the go-ahead runs with another hit as the … [Read more...] about ‘I really wanted to beat them’: Arringdale, Ankeny girls earn split against Jaguars

Regional softball pairings announced: Jaguars, Hawkettes both earn No. 1 seeds

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The Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial softball teams have both earned No. 1 seeds for postseason play. The fourth-ranked Jaguars (24-6) have been placed in Class 5A Region 4. They will host a semifinal game against Marshalltown (10-21) or Iowa City West (2-27) on Saturday, July 13 at 7 p.m. No. 13 Waukee (14-16) will host Dowling Catholic (11-16) in the … [Read more...] about Regional softball pairings announced: Jaguars, Hawkettes both earn No. 1 seeds

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Ava Tomlinson, Ankeny softball

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Senior catcher Ava Tomlinson has helped the eighth-ranked Ankeny softball team to a 17-12 record, including a 7-5 mark in the CIML Conference. She is batting .266 with two home runs, five doubles and 16 RBIs. Tomlinson hit a three-run homer on Saturday as the Hawkettes posted a 4-0 victory over North Polk, the No. 1 team in Class 4A. The loss snapped the … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Ava Tomlinson, Ankeny softball

‘I think we flipped a switch’: Hawkettes end North Polk’s 21-game winning streak

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Abby Rusher and the Ankeny softball team took a big step forward on Saturday. Rusher racked up 26 strikeouts across 13 innings as the eighth-ranked Hawkettes posted a pair of victories at Oskaloosa, capped off by a 4-0 win over North Polk. The Comets are the No. 1 team in Class 4A. "This was definitely a key day in our season," said Ankeny coach Dave … [Read more...] about ‘I think we flipped a switch’: Hawkettes end North Polk’s 21-game winning streak

Hawkettes pound out 15 hits in 12-5 victory before S.E. Polk earns split

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The eighth-ranked Ankeny softball team built an 8-0 lead and then held on for a 12-5 victory at No. 11 Southeast Polk in the first game of a CIML Conference doubleheader on Thursday. The Rams then posted a 13-3 win in six innings in the nightcap to earn a split of the twinbill. They improved to 5-7 in the league and 17-14 overall, while Ankeny's records … [Read more...] about Hawkettes pound out 15 hits in 12-5 victory before S.E. Polk earns split

‘I’ve been itching to get back’: Johnson returns, blasts homer in win over Dodgers

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It was a Senior Night that Cassie Johnson will never forget. The Ankeny softball star returned to the team's lineup for the first time in nearly a month and blasted a two-run homer in her first at-bat, helping the eighth-ranked Hawkettes to a 4-3 victory over Class 4A No. 3 Fort Dodge in a non-conference game on Wednesday. Johnson, who had suffered a … [Read more...] about ‘I’ve been itching to get back’: Johnson returns, blasts homer in win over Dodgers

‘We’ve got to get back to some basics’: Hawkettes tumble twice at No. 3 Johnston

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The Ankeny softball team will need to regroup after being swept in Monday's doubleheader at third-ranked Johnston. The Dragons posted an 8-5 victory in the opener, then followed with a 12-2 win in six innings. They extended their winning streak to five games. The No. 7 Hawkettes, meanwhile, have lost four in a row. "We're streaky right now, and … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve got to get back to some basics’: Hawkettes tumble twice at No. 3 Johnston