Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Joe Balvanz

Hawks get grand slam from Wille in loss to No. 1 S.C. East, then fall to Lewis Central

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The Ankeny baseball team has shown at times that it can compete with some of the state's best squads. But a bad inning or two can often prove to be the difference, and that was the case again on Saturday as the Hawks fell to a pair of opponents at Council Bluffs Lewis Central. Ankeny opened the day with a 9-4 loss to top-ranked Sioux City East. The … [Read more...] about Hawks get grand slam from Wille in loss to No. 1 S.C. East, then fall to Lewis Central

‘Waukee is a pretty complete team’: Warriors top Ankeny, move into first place

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Lefthander Gavin Weinschenk allowed just two hits over the first six innings to lead the seventh-ranked Waukee baseball team to an 8-1 victory at Ankeny on Thursday. The win, combined with No. 6 Urbandale's 5-4 loss at No. 10 Valley, allowed Waukee to move into sole possession of first place in the CIML Conference. The Warriors are now 10-4 in the league … [Read more...] about ‘Waukee is a pretty complete team’: Warriors top Ankeny, move into first place

‘Sometimes bad things happen’: Hawks tumble twice to Johnston after hot start

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny baseball team got off to a blazing start in its Wednesday doubleheader against visiting Johnston. But the Hawks struggled to match that hot start over the next 13 innings. Ankeny allowed 10 unanswered runs in an 11-5 loss in the first game before falling behind and dropping a 7-3 contest in the … [Read more...] about ‘Sometimes bad things happen’: Hawks tumble twice to Johnston after hot start

Roemmich’s homers, Grevengoed’s gem lead Tigers to 6-0 victory at Ankeny

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The Ankeny baseball team's four-game winning streak came to an end on Monday with a 6-0 loss to visiting Valley. Colton Roemmich homered twice and drove in three runs for Valley, while Trent Grevengoed tossed a three-hitter and had 11 strikeouts. The 10th-ranked Tigers improved to 7-4 in the CIML Conference and 11-7 overall. Ankeny's records dropped to … [Read more...] about Roemmich’s homers, Grevengoed’s gem lead Tigers to 6-0 victory at Ankeny

Ankeny baseball team continues recent hot streak by sweeping Little Cyclones

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(Story by Dom Tornabane) After a very slow start to the season, the Ankeny baseball team is on a roll. The Hawks swept a non-conference doubleheader on Friday at Ames by scores of 10-7 and 14-9. They have now won five of their last six games to raise their overall record to 6-13. Ankeny used a five-run third inning to erase a 2-1 deficit in the … [Read more...] about Ankeny baseball team continues recent hot streak by sweeping Little Cyclones

Hawks rely on strong pitching, defense to sweep both games at Waukee Northwest

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The Ankeny baseball team has already dug itself a hole in the CIML Conference race. After getting off to an 0-6 start, the Hawks likely aren't going to contend for the league crown. But that doesn't mean that they can't play the role of a spoiler. Ankeny traveled to Waukee Northwest on Monday for a doubleheader against the Wolves, who entered the week … [Read more...] about Hawks rely on strong pitching, defense to sweep both games at Waukee Northwest

‘I saw a lot of encouraging things’: Hawks outlast Indianola in 16-inning marathon

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The Ankeny baseball team earned its second win of the season on Saturday in dramatic fashion. The Hawks held previously unbeaten Indianola scoreless over the final 12 innings and rallied to beat the host Indians, 9-3, in a 16-inning marathon. Indianola (11-1) had defeated Ankeny, 8-4, in a Class 4A substate quarterfinal last year. "I don't think I've … [Read more...] about ‘I saw a lot of encouraging things’: Hawks outlast Indianola in 16-inning marathon

‘We’ve got to turn those into line drives’: Hawks continue to struggle on offense

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The Ankeny baseball team needs to find an offensive spark. After scoring five runs in their only win over Dubuque Hempstead on May 23, the Hawks have now been held to four runs or fewer in their last eight games--all of them losses. They are averaging just 2.3 runs per game after being swept on Wednesday at Urbandale by scores of 9-1 and … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve got to turn those into line drives’: Hawks continue to struggle on offense

‘We were very patient and disciplined’: Jaguars pull away late for 11-4 rivalry win

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial baseball teams were locked in a close battle in their first meeting of the season. Then the Jaguars just pulled away at the end. Centennial scored eight combined runs in the fourth and fifth innings to bust things open as the Jaguars secured an 11-4 victory over the visiting Hawks in a … [Read more...] about ‘We were very patient and disciplined’: Jaguars pull away late for 11-4 rivalry win

‘Those were two tough losses’: Hawks’ slide continues at Bondurant-Farrar

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It's been a rough start to the season for the Ankeny baseball team. The Hawks were hoping to turn things around on Friday at Bondurant-Farrar, but the Bluejays rallied to win both games of a non-conference doubleheader by scores of 4-3 and 2-1. "Those were two tough losses," said Ankeny coach Joe Balvanz, whose team dropped to 1-9. "But tip your hat to … [Read more...] about ‘Those were two tough losses’: Hawks’ slide continues at Bondurant-Farrar

‘We gave up too many free bases’: Hawks allow 20 walks in pair of losses at Waukee

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The Ankeny baseball team allowed only 11 total hits during Thursday's doubleheader at Waukee. Unfortunately, the Hawks' pitchers struggled to find the strike zone, giving up a combined 20 walks in the two games. The Warriors took advantage of the free passes to sweep Ankeny by scores of 7-4 and 9-1. "We gave up too many free bases for sure," said … [Read more...] about ‘We gave up too many free bases’: Hawks allow 20 walks in pair of losses at Waukee

‘Those are big momentum killers’: Hawks waste early chances in loss at Johnston

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Some early opportunities to score slipped away from the Ankeny baseball team, and it proved to be costly. The Hawks went on to drop a 9-2 decision at Johnston in their CIML Conference opener on Wednesday. It was the first win of the season for the Dragons, who improved to 1-2 overall. "We had runners on first and second with nobody out early … [Read more...] about ‘Those are big momentum killers’: Hawks waste early chances in loss at Johnston

Hawks rally for 2 runs in 7th inning, beat Dubuque Hempstead for their first victory

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The Ankeny baseball team rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn its first win of the season on Saturday. Ryan Wille hit a walk-off single to give the Hawks a 5-4 victory over Dubuque Hempstead in the Herkelman Invitational at Cedar Rapids Xavier. Wille went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs. "We had some good at-bats, ran the … [Read more...] about Hawks rally for 2 runs in 7th inning, beat Dubuque Hempstead for their first victory

‘I see a lot of potential in this group’: Balvanz unfazed by Hawks’ 0-3 start

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The Ankeny baseball team dropped a 6-1 decision to visiting North Polk in the completion of a suspended game on Thursday. The Hawks trailed by 6-1 in the fifth inning when the non-conference contest was halted by lightning on Monday. Neither team was able to score when play resumed. North Polk remained unbeaten at 3-0. "I thought all the relief … [Read more...] about ‘I see a lot of potential in this group’: Balvanz unfazed by Hawks’ 0-3 start

‘That’s a pretty solid ball club’: Spartans sweep doubleheader against Ankeny

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Ankeny baseball coach Joe Balvanz likes to play a challenging schedule to prepare his team for postseason play. Visiting Pleasant Valley provided a huge test for the Hawks on Wednesday. The Spartans swept the non-conference doubleheader by scores of 5-0 and 10-3. They raised their record to 4-0 after sweeping Rock Island, Ill., on Tuesday. "We are … [Read more...] about ‘That’s a pretty solid ball club’: Spartans sweep doubleheader against Ankeny

‘We have a strong group of seniors’: Ankeny baseball team boasts deep roster

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It won't be easy for Joe Balvanz to replace one of the best leaders he's ever coached in the Ankeny baseball program. Shortstop Kinnick Vos graduated last year and is now playing at Black Hawk Community College in Moline, Ill. He led the Hawks to a 14-25 record as a senior. Voss batted .350 with five doubles and 16 RBIs while leading the team with four … [Read more...] about ‘We have a strong group of seniors’: Ankeny baseball team boasts deep roster

‘We fought the whole game’: Hawks end season with 8-4 loss at No. 7 Indianola

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The Ankeny baseball team was hoping to pull off some surprises in postseason play. A young and talented Indianola squad didn't let it happen. The seventh-ranked Indians ended Ankeny's season with an 8-4 victory in a Class 4A substate quarterfinal on Saturday at Indianola. The Hawks finished with a 14-25 record. "Like all year, they never gave up," … [Read more...] about ‘We fought the whole game’: Hawks end season with 8-4 loss at No. 7 Indianola

Hawks fall twice at No. 3 Johnston, gear up for substate opener at No. 7 Indianola

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After entering the week with a seven-game winning streak, the Ankeny baseball team is now on a five-game losing skid. And with the postseason set to begin in less than 48 hours, the Hawks can't afford another loss. Ankeny closed out the regular season on Wednesday with a make-up doubleheader at third-ranked Johnston, which rallied for an 8-7 victory in … [Read more...] about Hawks fall twice at No. 3 Johnston, gear up for substate opener at No. 7 Indianola

No. 8 Valley snaps Hawks’ winning streak, moves closer to CIML Conference crown

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The Valley baseball team moved closer to the CIML Conference title by sweeping a doubleheader on Monday at Ankeny. The eighth-ranked Tigers posted a 3-2 victory in the opener, then completed the sweep with a 12-3 win. They snapped Ankeny's seven-game winning streak in the process. "Valley has a good number of arms who do a really nice job," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about No. 8 Valley snaps Hawks’ winning streak, moves closer to CIML Conference crown