Cyclones reach 10-win mark with softball sweep at Clarinda

 CLARINDA (June 6) -- In 2018, the Harlan Community softball team didn’t crack double digits in the win column until June 21 on its way to a 15-17 campaign.
 This year’s Cyclones - even with three early-season rainouts - are two weeks ahead of last year’s pace following Thursday’s doubleheader sweep at Clarinda.
 Led by Morgan Schaben’s big night at the plate as well as the pitching circle, HCHS beat the Cardinals 14-0 in five innings and 9-6, improving to 10-3 overall and 5-1 in the Hawkeye Ten - tied for second place in the league standings with Denison-Schleswig.
 Schaben pitched an abbreviated one-hit shutut in game one and recorded the last two outs of game two for her second save. At the plate, she finished the twin bill a combined 6-for-7 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBI.
HCHS 14, Clarinda 0 (5)
 Schaben (7-3) allowed just two Cardinal base runners in five innings - one hit, one error - while recording nine strikeouts. At the plate, she batted 3-for-3 with a double and four runs-batted-in.
 HCHS took control with seven runs in the top of the second and added three in the third and four in the fifth, totaling 12 hits. Kate Heithoff (3 runs scored) and Madison Schumacher both had two-hit games.
HCHS 9, Clarinda 6
 The Cyclones struggled to get the bats going against Cardinal pitcher Aziah Smalley until late in game two as Smalley retired the first nine batters she faced and took a 3-1 lead into the sixth.
 HCHS rallied when needed, however, scoring eight runs on nine hits in the last two innings.
 The Cyclones’ five-run sixth began with a single by Aurora Miller and RBI doubles from Schaben and Schumacher. Julia Schechinger also singled and, with two outs, Tianna Kasperbauer and Miranda Goetz hit back-to-back RBI singles to give Harlan a 6-3 lead.
 Kasperbauer struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth and the Cyclones added three runs in the seventh, starting with Schaben’s second home run of the year. Schumacher then singled, Schechinger doubled and a passed ball and error let in two more runs.
 Clarinda (3-7 overall, 0-6 Hawkeye Ten) made some noise in the bottom of the seventh with three runs and pulled within 9-6 on an RBI double by Addison Shane. At that point, Schaben relieved Kasperbauer and induced a pop-up to the catcher and a strikeout to close the game.