HCHS sweeps Glenwood in double header to begin busy week

HARLAN – The Harlan Community Cyclones softball team used a balanced offensive attack, timely hitting and strong pitching performances to sweep the Glenwood Rams in a doubleheader Tuesday evening, winning game one 10-5 be-fore holding off a late rally for an 8-7 victory in game two.
The sweep showcased the depth of the Cyclone lineup as veterans and younger players alike stepped up throughout the night. 
HCHS finished the two games with 18 runs on 22 hits while receiving key performances from Taylor Heese, Kaitlynn Schmitz, Brynn Schumacher, Olivia Scheuring and several others.
The Cyclones opened the evening by scoring 10 runs on 14 hits while overcoming a five-run offensive effort from Glenwood.
Rebekah Christensen earned the victory after pitching six innings, al-lowing five runs, four earned, while striking out two. 
Lauren Schmitz came on in relief and slammed the door shut with a scoreless seventh inning, striking out two of the three batters she faced.
At the plate, the Cyclones’ offense was productive from top to bottom.
Brynn Schumacher led the charge, going 3-for-4 with a double, home run, four RBIs and three runs scored. 
Olivia Scheuring continued her strong play by going 3-for-4 with a double and RBI while providing a spark near the bottom of the lineup.
Avery Manz finished 2-for-3 and scored twice, while Suzy Kenkel drove in two runs and reached base three times. 
Kaitlynn Schmitz added a pair of hits, Aubree Wegner reached base three times, and Lauren Schmitz collected a hit and scored a run. Taylor Heese also scored twice and drew a walk as the Cyclones posted a .500 team batting average in the victory.
The win gave HCHS momentum heading into the nightcap, but game two would require a comeback effort.
Glenwood wasted little time taking control of the second game.
The Rams opened the contest with a walk and a single before Au-drey Albers launched a three-run home run to give Glenwood an early 3-0 advantage.
The Rams threatened to do even more damage later in the inning, but the Cyclones’ defense came through. Avery Manz made a diving play that resulted in an out at second base, helping limit the damage and keeping HCHS within striking distance.
The Cyclones answered immediately.
After two quick outs in the bottom of the first, Taylor Heese doubled to center field and Brynn Schumacher followed with an RBI double down the line to trim the deficit to 3-1.
Camryn Goshorn and the Cyclone defense then retired Glenwood in order in the second inning, setting the stage for the game’s turning point.
Following a leadoff out, Olivia Scheuring singled and Clara Schmitz followed with a hit of her own. Kaitlynn Schmitz then lined an RBI single up the middle to make it 3-2.
A wild pitch moved runners into scoring position before Avery Manz drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game.
With the bases still loaded, Heese delivered the biggest hit of the night.
The junior blasted a ball into the outfield gap that cleared the bases. The play was officially scored as a triple, but an error allowed Heese to circle the bases and score as well, turning the play into an error-aided inside-the-park grand slam.
In a matter of moments, a tied game had become a 6-3 Cyclone lead.
Heese finished game two a perfect 2-for-2 with a double, triple, walk, three RBIs and two runs scored while reaching base in all three plate appearances.
One of the biggest storylines in game two was the production HCHS received from its younger players.
Scheuring, an eighth grader, reached base twice and scored two runs, while fellow eighth grader Clara Schmitz reached safely twice as well.
Their contributions proved crucial in the third inning.
Scheuring worked a two-out walk and Clara Schmitz followed with another free pass, bringing Kaitlynn Schmitz to the plate with two runners aboard. 
Schmitz responded by driving a triple into the gap, scoring both runners and extending the Cyclones’ lead to 8-3.
The junior finished a perfect 3-for-3 with two singles, a triple and three RBIs.
Between the two games, Schmitz combined to go 5-for-6 at the plate. While the offense generated headlines, Goshorn turned in an important performance inside the circle.
After surrendering the first-inning home run, the junior settled in and battled through six innings, al-lowing six runs on eight hits while walking five and striking out four.
She escaped trouble in the fourth inning by recording back-to-back strikeouts before inducing a lineout to Scheuring. 
In the fifth, Glenwood put runners at second and third with no outs, but Goshorn responded with a strikeout and later added another to strand runners and limit the damage.
The Rams chipped away at the lead with one run in the fifth and two more in the sixth, cutting the deficit to 8-6 heading into the final inning.
With the game tightening, Lauren Schmitz was called upon once again to close things out.
The Rams opened the seventh with a single and eventually scored to make it an 8-7 game. 
Another hit put the tying run in scoring position and brought the go-ahead run to first base with one out.
Schmitz remained composed under pressure.
The senior recorded a key strike-out for the second out before inducing a ground ball to Taylor Heese, who made the play for the final out and secured the sweep.
For the second straight game, Schmitz shut the door late, helping preserve another Cyclone victory.
Cyclone Head Coach Nolan Heese was pleased to come away with the sweep but felt his team still has room to improve.
“We had some innings where we did things really well and then some innings where we did things that I can’t really explain,” Heese said. 
“Whether it was a lapse in judgment, the hot day affecting us, or just the grind of playing a doubleheader, there was some inconsistency. But we did enough to get the job done.”
Heese praised the performances of Taylor Heese and Kaitlynn Schmitz, who combined for eight hits during the doubleheader.
“Taylor probably isn’t hitting as well as she wants to right now, but she’s by far our most consistent hitter,” Heese said. 
“No matter what type of pitcher we’re seeing, whether it’s somebody throwing hard or somebody slower, she consistently finds a way to put the bat on the ball.”
“Kaitlynn has been doing a really good job, and to get that kind of production out of the nine-hole is huge for us.”
Heese also spoke highly of eighth graders Clara Schmitz and Olivia Scheuring, both of whom played key roles in game two.
“Clara has a ton of potential as a catcher,” Heese said. 
“She has a great arm and we wanted to ease her into things and get her some exposure. With a long week ahead of us, we wanted to rest Suzy’s legs and felt like tonight was a good opportunity.”
Heese also credited Scheuring for making the most of an opportunity created by injury.
“Olivia is a good hitter. We’ve always felt confident in that,” Heese said. “We wanted to see consistency defensively and I feel like she’s done a really good job doing that.”
Kaitlynn Schmitz credited a simple approach at the plate for her success.
“I was just waiting for something down the middle that I could smack out there,” Schmitz said.
Schmitz added that she has felt confident at the plate this season because of the work she put in during the offseason.
Taylor Heese said she made adjustments after game one that paid off in the nightcap.
“I felt really good,” Heese said. 
“In the first game I felt like I was lunging at a couple pitches and grounding out, so I realized I had to keep my weight back, drive the ball up the middle and hit line drives.”
Heese also said the Cyclones rely on one another when facing adversity.
“We really depend on each other,” Heese said. 
“When somebody’s energy is up, everyone’s energy is up. We just try to keep everyone positive and re-mind each other that if you make a mistake, you’ve got the next one. We had a couple errors late, but we picked each other up and finished the game.”
The Cyclones returned to action Thursday when they travel to Denison to face Denison-Schleswig for the second time in as many weeks before heading to Under-wood on Saturday for a tournament against Fremont-Mills, Griswold and Lawton-Bronson.