Brouse twirls five perfect frames as Cyclones win 10-0

 COUNCIL BLUFFS (June 10) -- Fifteen up, fifteen down.
 Harlan Community’s Emily Brouse pitched a five-inning perfect game with 12 strikeouts here Thursday night as the Cyclone softball team finished a tough week on a high note, defeating St. Albert by the mercy rule, 10-0.
 HCHS scored in all five innings as Julia Schechinger and Madison Schumacher combined for 13 total bases, but it was Brouse (6-4) who stole the show with a dominant performance in the circle. She struck out the first six batters she faced and allowed just three Saintes to put the ball in play - all on the infield.
 After losing close games against Atlantic and Underwood earlier in the week, the Cyclones got back in the win column and improved to 10-5 overall and 5-2 in Hawkeye Ten Conference play. St. Albert fell to 3-7 and 2-4, respectively.
 “This was a great way to end the week,” said HCHS head coach Toshia Kasperbauer.
 “Emily was fresh and threw a great game. Her pitches were working and they were not able to catch up to them. Offensively, the girls were able to string together some hits and were able to hit the ball up and down the lineup.”
 Schechinger and Schumacher paced the offense, hitting back-to-back home runs in the Cyclones’ three-run third inning and adding back-to-back doubles in the fourth. Schechinger capped the team’s three-run fifth with a two-run single, finishing 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored. Jordan Heese went 3-for-3 with a double while Schumacher (two RBI) and Kate Heithoff (one triple, two runs) both went 2-for-3.
 Tianna Kasperbauer, Brouse and Ellie Ineson rounded out the Cyclones’ 13-hit attack with singles and Madison Kjergaard stole a base and scored two runs.