Ankeny Fanatic

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Joe Balvanz

Hawks oust Roosevelt behind Minner’s gutsy pitching, Romig’s go-ahead blast

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Hunter Minner pitched five strong innings, Jack Romig hit a go-ahead, two-run homer and the Ankeny baseball team opened postseason play with a 9-4 victory over Des Moines Roosevelt in a Class 4A substate quarterfinal on Friday at Dowling Catholic. Things got even better for the Hawks as Ryan Buffington closed out the win with two hitless innings of … [Read more...] about Hawks oust Roosevelt behind Minner’s gutsy pitching, Romig’s go-ahead blast

Hawks earn walk-off victory over S.E. Polk in probable final game on dirt infield

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(Story by Dom Tornabane) The Ankeny baseball team has likely played its final games on its dirt infield. The Hawks closed out the regular season on Tuesday by splitting a make-up doubleheader against visiting Southeast Polk. They won the second game in walk-off fashion, 10-9, after dropping a 9-7 decision in the opener. Kobe Behrens singled to drive … [Read more...] about Hawks earn walk-off victory over S.E. Polk in probable final game on dirt infield

‘Our guys bounced back’: After dropping opener, Hawks rout Valley to earn split

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The Ankeny baseball team prevented Valley from sweeping the season series by posting a 10-4 victory on the road in the second game of a doubleheader on Monday. The Hawks bounced back after dropping an 11-1 decision in five innings in the opener. "It was their Senior Night and they ran a bunch of different arms out there in game two, but our guys … [Read more...] about ‘Our guys bounced back’: After dropping opener, Hawks rout Valley to earn split

‘We dropped a tough one’: Wolves’ 4-run 7th inning ends Ankeny’s winning streak

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A perfectly executed double steal with two outs in the top of the seventh inning allowed the Waukee Northwest baseball team to break a 2-2 tie and opened the door for a four-run outburst that gave the Wolves a 6-2 victory on Wednesday at Ankeny, spoiling the Hawks' Senior Night and snapping their five-game winning streak. Northwest prevented Ankeny from … [Read more...] about ‘We dropped a tough one’: Wolves’ 4-run 7th inning ends Ankeny’s winning streak

Minner, Hawks beat Dowling Catholic again, extend winning streak to 5 games

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The Ankeny baseball team could be a dangerous opponent in the postseason, especially when junior pitcher Hunter Minner is on top of his game. Minner likely made his final full start of the regular season on Tuesday, when he nearly tossed a complete game as the Hawks posted a 6-1 victory at Dowling Catholic to complete a sweep of the season series. The … [Read more...] about Minner, Hawks beat Dowling Catholic again, extend winning streak to 5 games

‘It was great to see them respond’: Hawks top MOC-Floyd Valley, Davenport West

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The Ankeny baseball team wasn't satisfied with ending a 10-game losing skid on Saturday. After rolling to a 10-3 victory over Class 3A No. 2 MOC-Floyd Valley in the Brent Prange Classic, the Hawks followed with a 9-5 triumph over Davenport West to start a winning streak of their own. "The kids played hard," said Ankeny coach Joe Balvanz, whose team is … [Read more...] about ‘It was great to see them respond’: Hawks top MOC-Floyd Valley, Davenport West

‘We’re very happy that we got two wins’: Jags sweep Ankeny behind Houser, Starr

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) A hot start to open things up and some late game heroics fueled the Ankeny Centennial baseball team in its doubleheader sweep at crosstown rival Ankeny on Wednesday. The Jaguars started off strong and picked up a 7-3 victory in the opener before turning around and outlasting Ankeny in a pitchers' duel for a 4-1 win in eight … [Read more...] about ‘We’re very happy that we got two wins’: Jags sweep Ankeny behind Houser, Starr

‘We had a tough 2nd inning’: Urbandale scores 4 unearned runs to beat Hawks

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The Urbandale baseball team stayed in the thick of the CIML Conference race with a 7-3 victory at Ankeny on Monday. The seventh-ranked J-Hawks completed a sweep of the season series while improving to 10-5 in the league and 19-7 overall. They remained one game behind No. 5 Waukee at the top of the standings heading into a Thursday showdown between the two … [Read more...] about ‘We had a tough 2nd inning’: Urbandale scores 4 unearned runs to beat Hawks

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