HCHS baseball improves to 6-0 with sweep of Creston

 HARLAN (May 30) -- In a week that started with the team’s third rainout in eight days, Harlan Community was able to play four baseball games and score 61 runs Wednesday and Thursday in sweeping a pair of Hawkeye Ten doubleheaders at Jim Goeser Field.
 One night after handling Shenandoah 8-0 and 24-7, the sixth-ranked (3A) Cyclones swept Creston 14-5 and 15-0 (four innings) to improve to 6-0 overall and 4-0 inside the conference.
 HCHS stole 11 bases in game one vs. the Panthers and never struck out in game two as Connor Bruck pitched a four-inning gem with 10 Ks. Number nine batter Jon Owens led the team with four total hits in the two games combined.
 Coach Steve Daeges was just glad to see the Cyclones get in some innings and at-bats following Tuesday’s postponement at Denison. Wednesday nearly resulted in another rainout, but the games were moved from Shenandoah to Harlan.
 “We need to play and we were fortunate to get the four games in with Shenandoah being willing to come up here and play,” Daeges said. “The guys are getting a lot of at-bats and our pitchers were able to get some mound time. We weren’t sharp this week, but we still needed to get out there and play.”
 Catcher Brenden Bartley was forced to leave game one early after taking a ball to throat while catching, but he returned for game two and finished the twin bill a combined 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Game one:
 HCHS was actually outhit 10-9 in the 14-5 victory, but took advantage of eight walks, five hit batsmen and three Panther errors. The Cyclones stole 11 bases (four by Joey Moser, three by Bruck) and hit five sacrifice flies (two by Luke Schaben).
 Brett Sears doubled for Harlan’s only extra-base hit and finished 2-for-3 with three RBI. Moser (3 runs), Isaiah Ahrenholtz and Owens both singled twice.
Game two:
 Bruck (2-0) was dominant on the mound, allowing just two soft singles and striking out 10 of the 14 batters he faced in four innings.
 HCHS broke the game open early with nine runs in the second and continued to add on. Moser and Ahrenholtz both hit two-run doubles in the second while Owens and Luke Schaben had run-scoring singles. Sears doubled again as well - his fifth of the year - and was one of five Cyclones with at least two RBI, led by Ahrenholtz’s three.