COUNCIL BLUFFS (June 25) -- Morgan Schaben’s fifth-inning two-run homer helped put the finishing touches on Harlan Community’s 7-0 softball win at Lewis Central Tuesday afternoon. The game actually reached the bottom of the sixth before being halted by rain, so the score and statistics reverted back to the last full inning, which was the fifth. HCHS (21-5 overall, 14-1 Hawkeye Ten) pulled away with three runs each in the fourth and fifth inni

 HARLAN (June 24) -- The Harlan Community baseball team fell victim to a big upset Monday night at Jim Goeser Field, losing to Atlantic 3-2. The Trojans (3-12 overall, 2-12 Hawkeye Ten) scored the go-ahead run on Nile Petersen’s bases-loaded slow roller past the mound in the top of the seventh, then escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning to pick up just their third win of the season.

 UNDERWOOD (June 25) -- It’s not an official Western Iowa Conference Softball Tournament unless IKM-Manning is playing on Thursday. Despite a season with more downs than ups so far, the seventh-seeded Wolves rose to the occasion for Tuesday’s WIC quarterfinal game at No.

 UNDERWOOD (June 25) -- Logan-Magnolia built an early 4-0 lead and continued to pull away from AHSTW for a 9-1 victory in Tuesday’s Western Iowa Conference Softball Tournament quarterfinal at Underwood. The fifth-seeded Panthers improved to 10-11 and advanced to Thursday’s semifinal and championship rounds in Logan.

 HARLAN (June 20) -- It was a trade the Harlan Community softball team gladly accepted. On the same day the Cyclones fell out of the 4A state rankings after a one-week stint at No. 14, they moved into sole possession of first place in the Hawkeye Ten Conference. HCHS swept Shenandoah 5-0 and 5-2 in a well-played doubleheader at H. Jack Field Thursday night while No. 13 (3A) Atlantic was swept at home by Glenwood 6-4 and 10-8.

 HARLAN (June 21) -- The Harlan Community baseball team had six days to think about being swept by Glenwood in a June 13 doubleheader. The Cyclones’ response last week was what you might expect from the fourth-ranked team in Class 3A: three quality wins over a pair of solid opponents. Two days after sweeping a twin bill at Sioux City East, HCHS rallied past eighth-ranked Sergeant Bluff-Luton 6-4 at Jim Goeser Field on Friday, improving to 15-3

 REGIONAL (June 21) -- The Iowa High School Athletic Association released its substate baseball assignments for Class 3A and 4A schools on Friday, placing Harlan Community in Class 3A, Substate 8. As of Sunday, teams with winning records in Substate 8 include the fourth-ranked Cyclones (15-3), Winterset (12-4), Dallas Center-Grimes (15-7) and Glenwood (11-7).

 MANILLA (June 21) -- Gabe Madsen’s two-run homer highlighted a seven-run fifth inning and AHSTW also opened the game with five runs in the first to beat IKM-Manning 14-1 Friday night and complete a season sweep. Viking junior Clayton Akers pitched all five innings and improved to 2-3 with the win, allowing four hits and one earned run, walking one and striking out a pair while throwing just 60 pitches. Madsen finished 2-for-2 with a home run,

 MONDAMIN (June 21) -- The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton baseball team suffered its second loss of the season to West Harrison on Friday night, falling 5-4 in eight innings. The Spartans, now 4-9 overall and 3-8 in the Rolling Valley Conference, held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in the first inning and a half and later tied the game with a run in the top of the sixth.

 UNDERWOOD (June 20) -- Nick Ravlin and Blake Hall combined to strike out seven IKM-Manning batters Thursday night as the Underwood baseball team defeated the Wolves 14-3 in a five-inning game. IKM-Manning led 3-2 going to the bottom of the third before the Eagles exploded for 11 runs off Wolves’ pitchers Alex Lingle and Amos Rasmussen in the inning.

 HARLAN (June 19) -- One week after playing eight varsity softball games in six days, Harlan Community finally returned to the diamond Wednesday night on the heels of a rare Monday off and a Tuesday rainout at Lewis Central. Facing an opponent that didn’t offer much resistance, the Cyclones shook off any lingering rust to score a 10-0, six-inning win over Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln at H.

 SIOUX CITY (June 19) -- Connor Bruck and Brett Sears both pitched complete games and Harlan Community plated clutch late-inning runs to sweep a baseball doubleheader at Sioux City East, 6-3 and 5-2, on Wednesday. The fourth-ranked (Class 3A) Cyclones, who were rained out at Lewis Central Tuesday, improved to 14-3 overall while the Raiders fell to 13-7. Game one was tied 3-3 late before HCHS scored one run in the sixth and two more in the seve

 IRWIN (June 19) -- Katie Anzalone’s two-run homer in the seventh inning put the finishing touches on AHSTW’s 12-1 Western Iowa Conference softball win at IKM-Manning Wednesday night. Kailey Jones pitched a four-hitter for the Lady Vikes, who improved to 9-8 overall and 7-5 in the WIC with their second win of the year over the Wolves (5-12, 4-10 WIC). Bianca Cadwell took the loss, allowing nine hits but just two earned runs as IKM-Manning comm

 DOW CITY (June 17) -- Freshman Macy Emgarten pitched a one-hit shutout and junior Kami Waymire belted a solo home run as part of a 3-for-3 night, leading the Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton softball team past Boyer Valley 9-0 on Monday. Emgarten (7-8) struck out 10 and walked four, beating the Bulldogs for the second time this season. The Spartans improved to 7-2 in Rolling Valley Conference play and 8-9 overall, blowing the game open with a five-r

 MISSOURI VALLEY (June 17) -- The AHSTW softball team built a 5-0 lead after two innings and held off Missouri Valley 6-4 Monday, snapping a six-game losing skid and going back over .500 in the Western Iowa Conference. Katie Anzalone led the Lady Vikes’ six-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and two runs scored.