HCHS snaps nine-game slide

 HARLAN -- Wednesday night was just what the doctor ordered for a Harlan Community softball team staggering a bit from the stress of a nine-game losing streak over eight days.
 Starting seven eighth-graders in the field - only one more than usual - the Cyclones increased their run production in each inning and got a three-hitter from Emily Brouse to trounce Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln 12-1 in five innings at H. Jack Field.
 HCHS, which has now utilized the mercy rule in each of its last four wins, improved to 8-17 overall while the Lynx fell to 4-24.
 The Cyclones finished with 12 total hits, played error-free defense and capped the night with a six-run fourth.
 The Cyclones got offensive contributions throughout the lineup against Lynx pitcher MacKenzie French, starting with new leadoff batter Kaylie Briggs, who went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles. It’s a small sample size, but Briggs is 6-for-11 in three games since being moved up two spots from the three hole.