Cyclones survive and advance with 2-1 walk-off win over Atlantic to open postseason

HARLAN- The Harlan Community Cyclones baseball team scored in the bottom of the seventh inning to edge Atlantic 2-1 in the opening round of the Class 3A Substate 8 Tournament, earning their fifth consecutive first-round postseason victory under head coach Heath Stein.
Runs were hard to come by as the two teams combined for just six hits in a game dominated by pitching.
Jonas Reynolds set the tone from the opening pitch, retiring the side in order in the first inning before allowing just two hits over his five innings of work. 
The senior surrendered one earned run while striking out three and walking three.
Reynolds said his biggest focus throughout the night was attacking an aggressive Atlantic lineup.
“They’re really aggressive hitters and like to swing the bat, so my biggest thing was just trying to get weak contact,” Reynolds said. 
“I got a couple of strikeouts, and I’ll take those when I can get them, but the main thing for me was getting weak contact.”
The Cyclones had opportunities to score throughout the game but were unable to capitalize early.
HCHS loaded the bases with one out in the third after Gavin Eck and Barrett Kaufman were both hit by pitches before Foxx Argotsinger worked a walk. 
Atlantic starter Kale Jensen escaped the jam with a fly out and a ground out to keep the game scoreless.
The Cyclones stranded two more runners in the fourth after Reynolds walked and Cade Nelson reached safely before threatening again in the fifth.
Argotsinger ripped a one-out double to right field before advancing to third on a passed ball. 
Colton Schneider followed with a walk and stole second to put runners at second and third with one out, but Atlantic reliever Jack Muller recorded consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.
Stein felt his team’s offensive approach wasn’t poor despite the missed opportunities.
“Jonas was absolutely dominant from the get-go, and then Colton came in and did what he does,” Stein said. “I didn’t think our at-bats were bad early. We got traffic on the bases. I don’t know if we just tried to make the moment too big, and we got away from our approaches a little bit. In the postseason, things speed up on you. We tried to talk to the guys about slowing the game down and just doing what they do. At the end of the day, it’s survive and advance in the postseason.” Atlantic finally broke through in the top of the sixth.
A leadoff single, stolen base and walk put the first two runners aboard before Schneider was called in from shortstop to relieve Reynolds. 
The Trojans immediately took advantage with an RBI single from Jensen to score Sawyer Tarrell and grab a 1-0 lead with runners at second and third and nobody out.
Schneider responded with one of the biggest sequences of the Cyclones’ season.
The junior struck out the next three Atlantic hitters to escape the inning without allowing another run.
Schneider said he trusted both his defense and his best pitch after taking over in a difficult situation.
“I trust my defense a lot, and I trust my fastball a lot,” Schneider said. 
“Those two work really well together. My fastball was working really well, and then I mixed in a couple of sliders and curveballs, but the fastball was really working.”
Stein could see Schneider’s confidence immediately after he entered the game.
“You can watch his body language when he’s on the mound, and he’s in complete control,” Stein said. 
“You know he’s just going to attack hitters over and over again. He was landing his breaking ball, which was really good to see, and he was putting his fastball where he wanted it. Colton was absolutely dominant in relief.”
The Cyclones answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning.
Nelson drew a leadoff walk before Jacob Spangenberg drilled an RBI double into left field to score Nelson from first and tie the game at 1-1. 
Joseph Gross followed with an infield single and later stole second to put two runners in scoring position, but Atlantic escaped further damage. Schneider wasn’t finished.
The junior struck out the side again in the seventh, giving him six consecutive strikeouts over two perfect innings of relief. He earned the victory after allowing just one hit. 
With the game tied entering the bottom of the seventh, Schneider led off by drawing a walk before stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error.
“My mentality was just to get on base any way I could,” Schneider said. 
“I know the hitters behind me can get me around the basepaths, and that’s exactly what they did.”
After Atlantic recorded a strikeout for the first out, Reynolds stepped to the plate with the winning run 90 feet away.
“The main thing I was thinking was just to put the ball in play and let Colton do what he does,” Reynolds said. “If it was a fly ball, I wanted to make sure it was deep enough, but I was really looking to hit a line drive into one of the gaps. I’ll definitely take the sacrifice fly.”
Reynolds lifted a fly ball deep enough to right field, allowing Schneider to score and send the Cyclones into celebration with the 2-1 walk-off victory.
HCHS finished with just three hits. Argotsinger and Spangenberg each doubled, with Spangenberg driving in the tying run, while Gross added a single. Reynolds was credited with the game-winning RBI on the sacrifice fly.
Atlantic also managed just three hits. Jensen doubled and drove in the Trojans’ lone run, while Tarrell and Zayden Parker each singled.
The Cyclones advanced to the Class 3A Substate 8 semifinal, where they faced a familiar opponent in Denison-Schleswig for the third time this season. 
The two teams split their regular-season meetings, with the Monarchs earning a 7-5 victory in Harlan before HCHS responded with an 8-3 road win in the most recent matchup.
Stein expects another tightly contested game against the veteran Monarchs.
“They’re a senior-laden bunch. I think they have eight seniors, and all of them have been playing for a long time,” Stein said. 
“They’re really good on the mound and really good behind the plate with Kastner. They’re a solid group that does a lot of things right. It’s going to be a battle, and it’s going to be a fun one.”