ATLANTIC (June 25) -- Connor Bruck pitched a four-hitter to earn his fifth win of the year and the Harlan Community baseball team broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the sixth to win at Atlantic 4-1 on Monday afternoon. After scoring just one unearned run against Trojan starter Chase McLaren through five, HCHS got to reliever Chase Mullenix for three runs on Jared Moser’s two-run single and Ryan Doran’s sacrifice fly. Moser finished with three

 HARLAN -- Nine Harlan Community boys soccer players and two Cyclone girls have been recognized on the 2018 Hawkeye Ten All-Conference teams released in June. The list of HCHS boys includes four first-team selections. Senior midfielders Drew Voge and Tanner Fink were both unanimous first-teamers while senior forward Dylan Eshelman and senior goalie Keaton Jones were also named to the first team.

 SERGEANT BLUFF (June 22) -- It wouldn’t be an official trip to Sergeant Bluff for the Harlan Community baseball team without some seventh-inning peculiarity. Two years ago, HCHS finished a 4-3 loss to Sergeant Buff-Luton playing under protest when the tying run was sent back to third base despite an overturned ‘out’ call at first that kept the Cyclone seventh inning alive.

 SHENANDOAH (June 21) -- The Harlan Community softball team continued its run of success against the southern half of the Hawkeye Ten Conference on Thursday, sweeping a doubleheader at Shenandoah by scores of 7-2 and 13-0 in four innings. HCHS is now 7-1 in varsity twin bills vs.

 AVOCA (June 22) -- Peyton Gross pitched a one-hit shutout and Grace Youngren blasted a solo home run Friday night as the 2nd-ranked (2A) IKM-Manning softball team blanked AHSTW 4-0 to sweep the season series. Gross struck out seven Lady Vike batters, walked one and hit one while recording her 10th shutout of the season. IKM-M scored three runs in the second inning to give Gross all the support she would need.

 AVOCA (June 22) -- IKM-Manning plated a pair of unearned runs in the top of the seventh Friday night to rally past the AHSTW baseball team, 2-1, in Western Iowa Conference action. The Wolves snapped a five-game losing skid in the process, improving to 4-12 overall and 4-10 in the WIC as junior Alex Lingle was the victor in a pitcher’s duel vs.

 AREA (June 25) -- The annual Western Iowa Conference Baseball and Softball Tournaments will be held this week, with the championship games slated for Thursday night in softball and Friday night in baseball. The 2nd-ranked (2A) IKM-Manning softball team, last year’s WIC Tournament champion, is unbeaten in conference play so far and will be the top seed.

 ELK HORN (June 21) -- Cole Madsen went 3-for-3 and Tyler Petersen pitched six innings for the win Thursday as the Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton baseball team snapped a four-game losing streak by topping Boyer Valley 9-4 in the rain. The Spartans (4-8 overall, 3-7 in the Rolling Valley Conference) actually led 11-4 when play was halted in the bottom of the sixth - still batting with two on and nobody out - but the official final score reverted bac

 HARLAN (June 18) -- Ryan Doran’s two-run homer highlighted a three-run first inning and Harlan Community pulled away with four runs in the fifth to beat Denison-Schleswig 9-3 in a midday Monday baseball game at Jim Goeser Field. The third-ranked (3A) Cyclones’ 12th straight victory completed a regular-season sweep of the Monarchs and improved their record to 14-2 overall and 13-0 in Hawkeye Ten Conference play.

 HARLAN (June 18) -- Denison-Schleswig ace pitcher Sarah Heilesen shut out the Harlan Community softball team on just one hit Monday and helped her own cause with a homer and three RBI as the 7th-ranked (4A) Monarchs blanked the Cyclones 6-0 to sweep the season series. Heilesen walked two and recorded nine strikeouts in the game, which started at 11 a.m. to avoid the late day storms.

 AUDUBON (June 19) -- It’s been fun, but individual milestone season is officially over for the Gross family and IKM-Manning softball. The only business at hand now is to keep winning games. IKM-M senior Peyton Gross, just five days after earning career pitching win number 100, surpassed 1,000 strikeouts Tuesday night as the second-ranked (2A) Wolves beat Audubon 12-0 in five innings to cap a season sweep and improve to 16-1. Gross pitched a o

 VAIL (June 19) -- The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton softball team started fast with a four-run first inning and was able to hold off Ar-We-Va 7-4 here Tuesday to complete a Rolling Valley Conference sweep of the Rockets. Eighth-grade pitcher Macy Emgarten (6-7) worked all seven innings for the win, allowing 11 hits and four earned runs while walking two. The Spartans (7-8 overall, 6-4 RVC) also totaled 11 hits.

 AUDUBON (June 19) -- The IKM-Manning baseball team took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning but was held scoreless the rest of the way in a 6-2 loss at Audubon on Tuesday. The Wolves’ home games vs. Treynor Monday and Tri-Center Wednesday were both rained out. No make-up dates have been announced. IKM-M got on top early vs.

 LOGAN (June 19) -- AHSTW was held to just three singles by Logan-Magnolia’s Joel Richardson Tuesday night and finished on the short end of a 3-1 decision in Western Iowa Conference baseball action. The Panthers (9-11 overall, 7-8 WIC) scored two runs in the first and added one more in the third while Richardson shut out the Vikings (6-8, 4-8 WIC) until the top of the seventh when Gabe Madsen singled home Brody Langer. Joel Sampson added two h

 LOGAN (June 15) -- For six innings Friday night, IKM-Manning put runners all over the bases but couldn’t break through against Logan-Magnolia softball pitcher Reanna Rife. Down to their last three outs, the Wolves responded like a senior-laden, 2nd-ranked team is supposed to, scoring six runs in the top of the seventh and beating the ninth-ranked Panthers 6-2 to sweep the regular-season series. IKM-M kept its unbeaten Western Iowa Conference