Joe Balvanz

The Ankeny baseball team could afford a loss on Wednesday. That won't be the case on Friday. The Hawks closed out the regular season with a 3-2 loss at Dallas Center-Grimes in a non-conference game. Their overall record dropped to 22-13. The Mustangs improved to 21-14 with their sixth straight victory. "We need to play better," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about Hawks close out regular season with 3-2 loss at Dallas Center-Grimes

The Ankeny baseball team moved into sole possession of first place in the CIML Iowa Conference with a convincing sweep over visiting Marshalltown on Monday. After posting a 14-5 win in the first game of the doubleheader, the Hawks romped to a 28-2 victory in four innings in the nightcap. They scored 11 runs in the first inning, seven in the second and 10 … [Read more...] about Hawks score 42 runs in twinbill sweep, take over Iowa Conference lead

Every win is critical for the Ankeny baseball team as the eighth-ranked Hawks battle No. 6 Urbandale for the top seed in Class 4A Substate 7. That's why Ankeny's 9-8 loss to North Scott in the Brent Prange Classic on Saturday could be damaging for the Hawks, who jumped out to an early 7-0 lead only to see it slip away. Ankeny is now 17-10 on the … [Read more...] about Hawks likely headed for No. 2 seed in Substate 7 after going 1-1 on Saturday

After watching his team drop the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday at Ames, Ankeny baseball coach Joe Balvanz tried to look on the bright side. "I wanted two (wins) there tonight, but I will take a split and playing well against a good arm," Balvanz said. "Facing a kid like (Ben) Amador is only going to help us in the postseason." Amador … [Read more...] about Hawks rout Ames in 5 innings before Little Cyclones win nightcap to earn split

It wasn't easy, but the Ankeny baseball team held off host Mason City to sweep a doubleheader on Monday and maintain sole possession of first place in the CIML Iowa Conference. The eighth-ranked Hawks scored three runs in the seventh inning to post a 6-3 victory in the opener, then built an early 12-0 lead en route to a 14-10 win in the nightcap that … [Read more...] about Hawks hold off Mason City to complete sweep, remain atop league standings

The Ankeny baseball team dropped out of a first-place tie with seventh-ranked Waukee Northwest in the CIML Iowa Conference on Monday, but salvaged a split of a doubleheader at Fort Dodge to remain in the thick of the league race. The No. 10 Hawks posted a 7-1 victory in the nightcap after dropping a 10-8 decision in the opener. They are now 9-3 in the … [Read more...] about Hawks salvage split of twinbill at Fort Dodge, drop out of first-place tie

The Ankeny baseball team was hoping to get a sweep against visiting Ames on Monday. The Hawks had to settle for a split. The Little Cyclones used a three-run rally in the sixth inning to post a 7-4 victory in the nightcap of the doubleheader, allowing them to earn a split after Ankeny won the opener, 7-5. "We let a popup fall in with two guys on … [Read more...] about Griess pitches Hawks to 7-5 victory before Ames rallies to win nightcap

The Ankeny baseball team pounded out 21 hits and swept a CIML Iowa Conference doubleheader against visiting Mason City on Tuesday. The Hawks posted an 11-1 victory in six innings in the opener, then completed the sweep with a 15-5 triumph in five innings. They improved to 3-1 in the conference and 4-3 overall, while Mason City's records dropped to 1-3 and … [Read more...] about Hawks pound out 21 hits en route to pair of run-rule victories over Mason City

A three-run first inning lifted the top-ranked Johnston baseball team to a 4-2 victory over visiting Ankeny on Friday, allowing the Dragons to improve to 9-0 on the season. The non-conference game was a rematch of last year's Class 4A semifinal, which was won by Johnston, 5-0. The Hawks (2-3) were held to five hits by a trio of Johnston pitchers. … [Read more...] about Patton homers, Dunwoody racks up 8 strikeouts in Hawks’ 4-2 loss at Johnston

The Ankeny baseball team used a late rally to post a 13-8 victory in nine innings on Monday at sixth-ranked Waukee Northwest, allowing the Hawks to salvage a split of the CIML Iowa Conference doubleheader. Ankeny scored three runs in the seventh to tie the game at 6-6 and force extra innings. After both teams scored twice in the eighth, the Hawks erupted … [Read more...] about ‘Our guys were gritty’: Hawks outlast Waukee NW in 9 innings, salvage split

The Ankeny baseball team opened its season on Wednesday by splitting a non-conference doubleheader at eighth-ranked Pleasant Valley, the defending Class 4A state champion. The Hawks rallied for a 9-8 victory in the opener, then overcame a 6-1 deficit in the nightcap to tie it up before Pleasant Valley (1-2) posted a 9-8 win to salvage a split. "We had … [Read more...] about Ankeny baseball team splits twinbill at Pleasant Valley to open season

A year ago, the Ankeny baseball team pounded many of its opponents with one of the state's best offensive attacks. This year's squad will rely a lot more on the Hawks' pitching staff. Ankeny returns four key pitchers from a team that posted a 32-7 record and won the CIML Iowa Conference title with a perfect 20-0 mark. Seniors Samuel Andrews, Easton … [Read more...] about ‘We have a lot of new faces’: The next era for Ankeny baseball begins Wednesday