Cyclone softball team opens conference play with sweep of Creston

 HARLAN (May 30) -- Morgan Schaben pitched five innings of one-hit ball in game one and notched the save in the night cap Thursday as the Harlan Community softball team swept Creston in its Hawkeye Ten Conference opener, winning 12-2 (in five) and 8-7.
 The Cyclones (4-2 overall) put up a five-spot in the second inning of game two, then scored three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth that turned out to be huge, making it an 8-3 game. Creston (2-2, 1-2 H-10) took advantage of two errors in the top of the seventh to load the bases and chased HCHS starting pitcher Tianna Kasperbauer on Emma Hanson’s two-run double. Schaben relieved Kasperbauer and allowed an RBI single but retired the next two batters to preserve the one-run victory.
 “The ones that are close are always a lot more sweet to win, but that was a little too close for comfort,” said HCHS coach Brooke Wilson. “But that’s just how Creston is. I knew that they weren’t going to roll over. We scored enough runs to help our pitchers and... our defense made some really great plays and then we made the easy ones look hard, so that’s just something to work on."
 Playing on back-to-back nights for the first time all season, the Cyclones posted a crooked number in six different innings during the doubleheader and totaled eight hits in each game. Wilson was pleased with the pitching of both Schaben and Kasperbauer, who combined to strike out 14 batters against four walks. Only three of Creston’s nine total runs were earned.
 Kate Heithoff ended game one with a two-run double to make it 12-2 and finished 2-for-2 with three runs scored to lead the offense. Emily Brouse added two singles and two RBI, Kasperbauer hit an RBI single and scored twice and Miranda Goetz added a two-run single and was one of three Cyclones to draw two walks in the game.
 At the plate in game two, Madison Schumacher went 2-for-4 with five RBI, hitting a three-run double in the second and a two-run single in the sixth. Heithoff singled home the team’s final run in the sixth, which turned out to be the game-winning RBI.