HCHS baseball splits twin bill at Clarinda

 CLARINDA (July 1) -- Harlan Community split a baseball doubleheader at Clarinda Thursday night, losing game one 11-5 before dominating the night cap 15-1 in just five innings.
 The Cyclones finished the twin bill with a record of 12-12 overall and 10-9 in the Hawkeye Ten Conference. The Cardinals finished the regular season 14-10 overall and 10-10 in league play.
 Following Monday’s 10-1 home loss to St. Albert, HCHS tied Clarinda for sixth place in the H-10 standings.
Clarinda 11, HCHS 5
 The Cardinals scored three runs each in the second and third innings to build a 7-2 advantage and later led 9-2 before holding off a late Cyclone rally.
 Clarinda outhit Harlan 9-5 and took advantage of four Cyclone errors that contributed to six unearned runs.
 Cardinal senior Jon McCall went 3-for-3 with a triple, three runs scored and one RBI from the eight hole while freshman Cole Baumgart added two singles. Tadyn Brown had five of the team’s seven stolen bases and scored three runs. Michael Shull and James McCall both drove in a pair.
 Clarinda’s Wyatt Schmitt pitched five and two-thirds innings for the win, allowing three hits and five runs. He walked seven batters, hit five others and struck out four.
 Freshman Franz Reisz (1-4) took the loss for HCHS, allowing four hits and eight runs (four earned) in three and a third. He walked four, hit one batter and struck out three before Stephen Leinen pitched the final two and two-thirds in relief (five hits, three runs, one earned).
 Alex Monson went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run for the Cyclones, Kelby Lasher had a double and three RBI, Joey Moser and Luke Musich both singled and Quinn Koesters was hit-by-pitch three times and scored twice.
 HCHS was unable to take full advantage of the 13 free passes (nine walks, four HBP) issued by Clarinda.
HCHS 15, Clarinda 1 (5)
 The Cyclones trailed 1-0 in game two before exploding for eight runs in the third and seven more the rest of the way to end things in five. They totaled only seven hits but were aided by five Cardinal errors, 13 walks and six hit batsmen.
 Monson (2-3) needed just 60 pitches to finish his five-inning three-hitter, walking two and striking out five.
 At the plate, Teagon Kasperbauer went 2-for-4 with two steals, two runs and one RBI. Moser had a triple, two runs and two RBI while Koesters (3 runs), Isaiah Ahrenholtz (4 runs), Ben Muenchrath and Cade Sears (2 runs) all singled.
 Walk leaders included Ahrenholtz, Monson and Lasher with three each. Musich (two walks) and Sears were both hit-by-pitch twice.
 Lasher had a team-high four RBI, giving him seven on the night, and Monson, Ahrenholtz and Moser all drove in two.