Cyclones hit refresh button for 3-A district play
HARLAN -- For the Harlan Community baseball team, it’s time to wipe the slate clean.
The 2nd-ranked Cyclones saw their 10-game winning streak come to a close during Wednesday’s regular season finale at Jim Goeser Field, losing 6-3 to Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson.
But starting Friday, the Tee Jay outcome means just about as much as the 24 regular-season wins that preceded it or the 24 losses of their first-round district opponent.
It’s tournament time now, and every team in Class 3-A is back on equal footing, just three wins shy of reaching the state tournament in Des Moines.
HCHS (24-5 overall) will have an opportunity to play three straight playoff games on its home field, starting with Friday’s District 16 semifinal vs. winless Carroll (0-24).
Denison-Schleswig (12-23) will play Storm Lake (4-17) at 5:00 p.m., followed by the Cyclones and Tigers at approximately 7:00. The winners meet back in Harlan Monday night with the Substate 8 final also set for Jim Goeser Field on Wednesday.