RED OAK -- The Harlan Community baseball team put the finishing touches on a Hawkeye Ten Conference championship late last week, sweeping Red Oak in a doubleheader that started Thursday and concluded on Saturday morning (July 1). HCHS defeated the Tigers 9-2 in game one and led 7-0 in game two when play was suspended by lightning after four innings.

 RED OAK -- The regular season ended on a down note for the Harlan Community softball team Thursday (June 29) when Red Oak’s Kamryn Buntrock hit a three-run walkoff homer in the bottom of the seventh to lift the Tigers past the Cyclones 8-5 in game two of a doubleheader. HCHS settled for a split of the twin bill after winning the first game 5-3 and will now have a week off before hosting Nevada in a first-round regional game Thursday, July 6,

 SIOUX CITY -- Trailing 8-2 after two innings, Harlan Community finished the game with 13 unanswered runs to win at Sioux City West, 15-8, last Wednesday (June 28). HCHS took the lead for good with a seven-run fifth inning, outhit West 14-7 and overcame five errors in the field to hand the Wolverines (10-18) their 12th straight loss. The relief pitching efforts of senior Jacob Croghan and freshman Connor Bruck shut down West’s bats and allowed

 HARLAN -- In a battle between two promising softball teams without a senior on either roster, Harlan Community fought back gamely but couldn’t catch a break in last Wednesday’s 11-7 home loss to Sioux City East. The game featured 23 total hits, seven errors and lasted well over two hours at H.

 COUNCIL BLUFFS -- Facing a team that thrives on walks and stolen bases, St.

 COUNCIL BLUFFS -- Sending 14 batters to the plate in a 10-run top of the fourth, Harlan Community hammered St.

 HARLAN -- Brett Sears pitched his second no-hitter of the year and the Harlan Community baseball team posted two crooked numbers to take care of Atlantic 10-0 in five innings Monday night (June 26) at Jim Goeser Field. Sears (5-0) struggled with his command at times as he walked six batters and also struck out six, but did not surrender a hit in five innings on the mound.

 HARLAN -- The Harlan Community softball team played Atlantic to a scoreless tie through four innings Monday night (June 26), but the fifth-ranked (3-A) Trojans put together back-to-back three spots in the fifth and sixth to beat the Cyclones 6-0 and complete a season sweep. After HCHS was unable to capitalize on a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fourth, Atlantic loaded the bases via two walks and an infield hit in the next half innin

 IRWIN -- IKM-Manning held serve in the quarterfinal round of the Western Iowa Conference Softball Tournament here Tuesday (June 27), but not without a stern test from an improving AHSTW squad. Held to just three hits by Lady Vike senior pitcher Haley Constable, the third-seeded Wolves found other ways to outscore their sixth-seeded foe, 4-1, at the Irwin softball diamond. IKM-M, ranked 15th in Class 2-A as of June 22, drew six walks on the ni

 AUDUBON -- AHSTW senior Anthony Cordes outshined Audubon’s Tyler Riebhoff in a classic pitchers duel Monday night (June 26) as the fifth-seeded Vikings topped the fourth-seeded Wheelers 2-0 in the quarterfinal round of the Western Iowa Conference Baseball Tournament. Cordes (2-3) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning that was broken up by Micky Williamson’s leadoff single.

 NEOLA -- The IKM-Manning baseball team finished 1-1 in this year’s Western Iowa Conference Tournament, beating Griswold 8-7 in a first-round game before losing to second-seeded Tri-Center 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

 ELK HORN -- The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton baseball team moved within one win of a perfect Rolling Valley Conference season here Monday night (June 26), scoring all three of its runs in the fifth inning and holding off West Harrison 3-2. The 5th-ranked (Class 1-A) Spartans improved to 18-0 overall and 13-0 in the RVC. West Harrison (10-8, 6-7 RVC) gave the Spartans all they wanted, matching the hosts with five total hits.

 RIVERSIDE, IA -- Harlanite Gary Lemons scored a hole-in-one on June 10 while playing the Blue Top Ridge Golf Course in Riverside, south of Iowa City. Lemons used a 6-iron for the 158-yard, uphill 11th hole, a par three. It was his first “ace” and came while playing with Todd Langenfeld, Joe Zaccone and Larry Gessmann.

 HARLAN -- No longer undefeated, the Harlan Community baseball team hasn’t lost any steam as it barrels toward the final three weeks of the regular season. In a matchup of top-five teams Friday night (June 23), HCHS senior Kyle Schmitz pitched his first complete game and junior Ryan Doran homered and had the team’s only three RBI as the top-ranked (3-A) Cyclones held off No.

 HARLAN -- Morgan Schaben pitched her first career no-hitter in game one and Madison Schumacher clubbed her first career home run in game two here Thursday night (June 22) as Harlan Community swept a varsity softball doubleheader from Shenandoah, winning 5-0 and 6-2. Schaben (3-10) put it all together in the first game of the twin bill, blanking the Fillies on no hits and striking out 10 in seven innings.