The Atlantic Trojans advanced to the regional semi-final Thursday night with a 10-2 win over the Harlan Cyclones. Although the runs didn’t come early, they did come often. After Harlan tied the game in the fourth, the Trojan bats came around. A combination of four hits and a few errors, Atlantic scored six to take control of the ball game. In addition to seven strikeouts, on the mound, Payton McLaren went 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Eighth-grader Reese Ball reached base three times, with a pair of RBIs. Zoey Kirchhoff held the Cyclones in the fifth, while a trio of hits and a pair of walks brought home the winning run.

McLaren was excellent in the opening stages. Throwing 4.0 innings, all seven of her strikeouts came in the first three, while allowing just a single hit. At the dish, the Trojans were able to push across a run in each of the first two innings. However, Cyclone pitcher Lauren Schmitz was able to keep the deficit slim before tossing a perfect third.

Using the momentum gained from Schmitz’s third, Harlan’s bats came alive in the fourth. Three consecutive hits, including RBI singles from Suzy Kenkel and Carleigh Goshorn, tied the game at two. However, it wouldn’t stay tied for long. Kickstarted by a Dylin Ball single and aided by a few Harlan errors, Atlantic scored six runs in the inning. McLaren, Reese Ball, McKenna Sonntag, and Lila Wiederstein all drove in runs as the Trojans batted around the order and took control of the game.

Kirchhoff would get through the fifth with relative ease, setting up the Trojans to put away the game. Claire Schroeder led off the inning with a double and was driven in immediately by a McLaren single. Following another single from Jillian Saathoff, back-to-back walks to Reese Ball and Makenna Schroeder brought home the winning run. Head coach Terry Hinzmann was pleased with how McLaren and how she used her stuff.

With the game tied his message was simple.

The win pushed Atlantic to 27-13 on the year and secured a spot in the regional semi-final against Centerville. The Big Reds beat Clarinda on the road 13-9 on Thursday to advance in the Region Eight bracket. Hinzman says the Trojans are stepping a bit into the unknown.

Atlantic will host the matchup scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday.