Cyclones close regular season with softball split at Denison

 DENISON (July 8) -- The Harlan Community softball team put the finishing touches on the regular season and a Hawkeye Ten championship Monday night with a doubleheader split at Denison-Schleswig.
 HCHS scored six runs in the top of the seventh to win game one 7-3 before Denison squeaked out a 7-6 victory in the night cap.
 The Cyclones, who won their first outright conference title since 2013 - they also shared the crown in 2014 - finished 18-2 in league play and took a 27-7 overall record into Thursday’s Class 4A regional opener against Perry. The Monarchs (23-13) placed second in the final H-10 standings at 15-5.
 This year’s turnaround season for HCHS comes on the heels of three straight sub-.500 years. The Cyclone roster features one senior in pitcher Morgan Schaben while the rest of the squad consists of sophomores, freshmen and eighth-graders. Some of the sophomores, however, are playing their third year of varsity ball.
 “I am so proud of my girls and glad that they are getting the success that they deserve after putting in so much hard work,” said HCHS coach Brooke Wilson. “Not only are they having a standout season but they are changing the entire program’s expectations."
HCHS 7, Denison 3
 Trailing 1-0 after five, the Cyclones tied the game in the top of the sixth and exploded for six runs in the seventh to win game one 7-3.
 Monarch senior pitcher Sarah Heilesen entered the sixth with a two-hit shutout and had retired seven in a row before two walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch allowed HCHS to tie the score.
 One inning later, a two-out error extended the Cyclone seventh and led to six unearned runs. Aurora Miller and Madison Schumacher both hit RBI singles and Julia Schechinger capped the outburst with a three-run home run - her fourth of the year - to make it 7-1.
 Denison plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh before Morgan Schaben ended the game with a pair of strikeouts. Schaben (21-6) allowed six hits and just one earned run in seven innings of work, walking six, hitting one batter and striking out 14. The Monarchs stranded 12 runners on base.
Denison 7, HCHS 6
 The Cyclones were six outs away from a sweep but couldn’t hold off the Monarchs as the bats fizzled late in game two.
 Heilesen’s two-out RBI single tied the score in the sixth and Kailey Pick’s two-out RBI double put Denison up 7-6 in the seventh.
 HCHS, batting last as the home team in the night cap, went down in order to end the game and had just one base runner in the last four innings off Heilesen, who pitched a four-hitter with nine strikeouts and six walks.
 Schaben pitched the first two innings for the Cyclones, allowing two unearned runs. Kasperbauer (6-1) took the loss in relief, giving up seven hits and five runs (four earned) in five innings, striking out eight, walking one and hitting two batters.