Brett Delaney

The Ankeny Centennial softball team closed out the regular season on Monday against the same opponent that it could face on Saturday in a Class 5A regional semifinal. The third-ranked Jaguars swept a doubleheader at Urbandale to wrap up a second-place finish in the CIML Conference. They rolled to a 14-3 victory in five innings in the opener, then … [Read more...] about Jaguars sweep Urbandale to close out regular season, could face J-Hawks again

On a night when the Ankeny Centennial softball team committed three errors, the Jaguars' bats more than made up for the defensive mistakes. Third-ranked Centennial pounded out 11 hits, four of them for extra bases, and posted a 9-5 victory at Dowling Catholic on Wednesday to complete a sweep of the season series. "It was another quality opponent in the … [Read more...] about ‘We needed those bats’: Jaguars pound out 11 hits in 9-5 victory at Dowling

The three seniors on the Ankeny Centennial softball team took a bow before leaving Tuesday's non-conference game against visiting Fort Dodge. With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Centennial coach Brett Delaney replaced the trio of pitcher Aubrey Scieszinski, catcher Makenna Foster and left fielder Mary Brantley as the third-ranked Jaguars held … [Read more...] about SENIOR SALUTE: No. 3 Jaguars celebrate trio of players with win over Fort Dodge

The Ankeny Centennial softball team entered Thursday's showdown against visiting Waukee Northwest as one of the hottest squads in the state. Unfortunately, the Jaguars' opponent came into the morning contest even hotter. Top-ranked Northwest extended its winning streak to 18 games with a convincing 8-0 victory over No. 4 Centennial, which lost for the … [Read more...] about ‘That’s a good squad’: Red-hot Wolves roll past Centennial for 18th straight victory

The Ankeny Centennial softball team moved within a half-game of first place in the CIML Conference by sweeping a doubleheader against visiting Waukee on Tuesday. The fourth-ranked Jaguars posted a 3-0 victory in the first game, which resumed on Tuesday after being suspended due to rain last Wednesday. They then routed the No. 13 Warriors, 10-0, in four … [Read more...] about Jaguars sweep Waukee, move within a half-game of first place in CIML standings

Lauren Bartine picked a good time to hit her first career varsity home run. The junior designated hitter hit a two-run blast in the sixth inning to give the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial softball team a 10-2 victory over No. 3 Johnston on Thursday at Centennial. "We played a complete team game!" said Centennial coach Brett Delaney, whose squad swept … [Read more...] about Bartine’s walk-off blast gives Jaguars 10-2 victory over No. 3 Johnston in 6 innings

The Ankeny Centennial softball team rebounded in a big way from its first shutout loss of the season. After dropping a 4-0 decision at second-ranked Waukee Northwest in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday, the No. 3 Jaguars bounced back with a 9-0 victory in six innings in the nightcap to earn a split. "It was a good night against one of the … [Read more...] about No. 2 Waukee NW blanks Centennial, then No. 3 Jaguars return favor in nightcap

Apparently, no lead is safe against the Ankeny Centennial softball team. The second-ranked Jaguars showed on Wednesday that they are fully capable of overcoming a huge deficit. Trailing 10-3 in the second game of a doubleheader against visiting Southeast Polk, Centennial erupted for 10 runs in the fifth inning and then held on for a 13-12 win, allowing … [Read more...] about ‘We found a way to get it done’: Jaguars earn split vs. S.E. Polk with 10-run inning

The second-ranked Ankeny Centennial softball team bounced back from a season-opening loss to sweep a doubleheader on Thursday at No. 10 Johnston. The Jaguars posted a 3-2 victory in the opener, then rolled to a 9-0 win in five innings in the nightcap. They are now 2-1 in the CIML Conference and overall, while Johnston's records dropped to 1-2 and … [Read more...] about ‘The girls rebounded well’: Centennial sweeps doubleheader at No. 10 Johnston

While the Waukee softball team opened its season on Tuesday with a doubleheader sweep over Des Moines Lincoln, Ankeny Centennial wasn't as fortunate. The Jaguars were hoping to tune up for their CIML Conference opener at Waukee with a game at Norwalk, but Tuesday's non-conference contest was postponed due to rain. Without a game under its belt, … [Read more...] about ‘It just didn’t work out tonight’: Jaguars open season with 4-3 loss at Waukee

Scoring runs likely won't be a problem this season for the Ankeny Centennial softball team. The Jaguars will again boast two of the state's top hitters in Jordyn Kennedy and Mady Ott. They led the team to a 29-10 record and a share of the CIML Conference title a year ago after playing key roles on Centennial's state championship squad in 2023. Those … [Read more...] about Loaded Centennial squad embraces team-first mentality heading into season

(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny Centennial softball team has taken the first step toward defending its Class 5A state championship. The sixth-ranked Jaguars were dominant in every aspect of the game as they romped to a 10-0 victory over visiting Marshalltown in five innings in a regional semifinal on Saturday. “Marshalltown is a real quality … [Read more...] about ‘It’s just one step at a time’: Jaguars rout Marshalltown, will host Waukee next

(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The stage was set heading into Saturday afternoon and things were simple for the Ankeny Centennial softball team: the sixth-ranked Jaguars needed to pull out at least one win against No. 5 Waukee Northwest to stay alive in the race for the CIML Conference title. The Jaguars suffered a 3-1 loss to open up the weekend … [Read more...] about Jaguars outlast Waukee NW in nightcap, remain tied for CIML Conference lead

Stepping out of conference play, the Ankeny Centennial softball team faced two opponents on Friday at the Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational and suffered a pair of losses. The fourth-ranked Jaguars opened the tournament by dropping an 8-6 decision to Indianola in a seesaw battle. They later fell to Norwalk, 4-1. "We'll be all right," said Centennial … [Read more...] about Centennial softball team falls to Indianola, Norwalk at Dallas Center-Grimes Invite

Just call it a perfect dozen. The Ankeny Centennial softball team extended its winning streak to 12 games with a doubleheader sweep over visiting Dowling Catholic on Monday. The fifth-ranked Jaguars posted a 10-0 victory in six innings in the opener, then followed with a 10-2 win in the nightcap. "Tonight was a special night for us," said Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘Tonight was a special night’: Seniors help Jaguars to another sweep, into first place