Cyclones end strong week with 13-9 come from behind win over Carlisle

HARLAN — The Harlan Community Cyclones base-ball team experienced a little bit of everything over the past three games going 2-1 in that stretch and finishing the week overall 5-1.
The Cyclones opened the week by defeating Class 3A No. 7 Bishop Heelan Catholic 13-6, fell 12-0 to Hawkeye 10 Conference leader Lewis Central on Thursday, and ended the stretch Friday night with one of the most memorable wins of the season.
Trailing 9-4 entering the bottom of the seventh inning against another state ranked foe in Carlisle, HCHS erupted for nine runs and completed a dramatic comeback when Foxx Argotsinger launched a walk-off grand slam to lift the Cyclones to a 13-9 victory.
The comeback capped a week that showcased the resilience of the Cyclones, something head coach Heath Stein pointed to after Friday’s victory.
“We dug ourselves a hole with the free-base battle we talk about all the time,” Stein said. 
“We’ve done it a couple of times this year, but not quite in this dramatic fashion as tonight. We scrapped back in with good at-bats, so the guys have a lot of fight in them.” Carlisle wasted little time taking control Friday night. 
The Wildcats loaded the bases with no outs in the opening inning and capitalized on a sacrifice fly and RBI single to build a 3-0 advantage.
The Cyclones answered in the bottom half when Colton Schneider and Harrison Kjergaard recorded back-to-back singles before Jonas Reynolds drove home a run to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Carlisle continued to apply pressure, extending its lead to 5-1 in the third inning before HCHS began chipping away. 
Kjergaard delivered an RBI double and Jacob Spangenberg followed with an RBI single as the Cyclones trimmed the margin to 5-3.
The Wildcats responded with two runs in the fourth and added single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to take a commanding 9-4 lead into the final inning.
Despite the deficit, the Cyclones remained within striking distance thanks in part to a key performance on the mound from Cole Koesters.
After Carlisle scored in each of the first six innings, Koesters retired the Wildcats in order in the seventh, recording the first scoreless inning by Cyclone pitching all night. “Cole’s been better,” Stein said. 
“He pitched three innings for us in Fort Dodge and threw the ball over the plate and did a nice job. Then he came in and got three outs right away just by throwing it over the plate.” The quick inning set the stage for a remarkable rally.
HCHS loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh before Kjergaard drew a walk to force home a run. 
Cade Nelson followed with an RBI single and Reynolds added a run-scoring groundout to make it 9-7.
Moments later, Spangenberg lined a single through the left side to score two runs and tie the game at 9-9.
Stein said his message throughout the inning was simple. “It was just at-bat by at-bat,” Stein said. 
“Obviously the ending was pretty sweet, but the at-bats before that to get us there were really, really good. It was just at-bat by at-bat, get to the next guy, and we kept putting good swings on baseballs.”
After Joseph Gross worked a walk and Barrett Kaufman was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, Argotsinger stepped to the plate with two outs and a chance to end it.
“I knew that I needed to get the job done,” Argotsinger said. 
“I went up there with the same approach I had all night and that if it was there to hit it and that’s what I did.”
Argotsinger drove a pitch to deep center field and immediately knew it had a chance.
“Off the bat, I knew that the center fielder wasn’t going to catch it, but it just so happened to leave the park,” Argotsinger said.
The ball sailed over the fence for a walk-off grand slam, setting off a celebration as the Cyclones completed the comeback.
Stein said the game-winning swing reflected Argotsinger’s ability to move past earlier frustrations.
“Foxx has been good this year and his numbers dictate that,” Stein said.
“I didn’t think his first two at-bats were very good, and Coach Sears said it too. We barked at him a little bit after his second at-bat about not swinging at a couple of pitches that he should’ve. For him to bounce back and move on was really mature. He just needs to continue to be aggressive at the plate and get good swings off.”
The Cyclones finished with 16 hits against Carlisle. Nelson led the offense with three hits and three RBI, while Schneider, Kjergaard, Gross and Gavin Eck each recorded multiple hits.
Friday’s dramatic victory came just two days after one of the Cyclones biggest wins of the season.
The Cyclones knocked off seventh-ranked Bishop Heelan Catholic 13-6 on Wednesday, avenging last season’s postseason loss to the Crusaders one game short of the state tournament.
HCHS collected 16 hits in the victory over the Crusaders. 
Schneider paced the offense by going 4-for-5 with a home run, double, four RBI and two runs scored. Nelson added three hits, including a triple, while driving in three runs and scoring three times. 
Gross reached base four times and scored three runs, while Argotsinger drove in two runs and scored twice.
On the mound, Reynolds earned the victory after striking out five over 4 1/3 innings, while Gross closed out the game with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
The Cyclones were unable to carry that momentum into Thursday’s matchup with Lewis Central, falling 12-0 to the Hawkeye 10 Conference leaders.
Rather than allowing the loss to linger, HCHS responded less than 24 hours later with a comeback that will likely be remembered as one of the team’s most exciting victories of the season.
The Cyclones closed the week with victories over two top-10 ranked opponents, highlighted by Argotsinger’s walk-off grand slam and a comeback from five runs down in their final at-bat.
The Cyclones returned to the diamond to take on Shenandoah Monday night in a double header.