Iowa State University’s solar car team will start a long race today (Saturday). Matt Goode, the project director for Team PrISUm, says they’re going into the American Solar Challenge with confidence, having won last year’s race. “This year, we are racing from Ohio to South Dakota and it’s going to be a little bit over 1,900 miles,” Goode says. “We are going from one national park to another with the national parks centennial and it’s a race to see who can get to South Dakota first with the least amount of energy.”

Given the starting and ending points, it was initially hoped the race might be trekking though Iowa this year but that won’t be the case. The race begins today (Saturday) at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Brecksville, Ohio. Goode says, “When we start, it’s going to be in northern Ohio, we dip down through Dayton and southern Illinois, go through St. Louis, and then we dip further down into Missouri going through a national battlefield from the Civil War, then heading up to a couple of parks in Nebraska and then shooting over to South Dakota.”

The race is scheduled to conclude after a week on August 6th at the Wind Cave National Park in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Next year, the ISU team plans to take part in the World Solar Car Challenge in Australia. See updates on the Team PrISUm Facebook page: www.facebook.com/PrISUm.Solar.Car/

(Radio Iowa)

At Principal Park in Des Moines….

Class 1A: 11 a.m. — Remsen-St. Mary’s (32-5) vs. West Sioux (27-2)

Class 2A: 1:30 p.m. — Clear Lake (30-7) vs. Kuemper Catholic (26-11)

Class 3A: 5 p.m. — Carlisle (33-6) vs. Harlan (29-5)

Class 4A: 7:30 p.m. — Cedar Rapids Prairie (37-6) vs. Iowa City West (35-6)

The second-ranked Harlan Cyclones defeated the Solon Spartans 7-5 Friday afternoon at Principal Park to advance to the Class 3A championship game. It was a tough game for the defense as both teams combined to tally seven errors.

It was a pitcher’s duel between the two teams as the game remained scoreless until Nolan Hesse single to left field in the bottom of the third. Hesse eventually scored on a wild pitch by Luke Ira, putting Harlan up 1-0. Josh Cheek got the ball for Harlan, throwing a complete game giving up three earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two.

A pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt put runners on the corners for Solon in the top of the fourth. Zach Wegmann ignited the Spartans offense, drilling a two-out double to center field to give Solon the 2-1 lead. Harlan started a rally in the bottom of the frame as a walk and back-to-back hit batters juiced the bases for the Cyclones. Nick Foss knocked the tying run home, making the game two all but Harlan wasn’t done yet. Two runs scored on a fielder’s choice by Dillon Sears followed by a RBI-double to right-center by Kyle Juhl.

The Spartans were not going down without a fight as Ira led off the sixth with a single to left field. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Dillon Drake and a couple of errors by the Cyclones scored three for Solon making the score 6-5, Harlan. The Cyclones responded with an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth thanks three errors by the Spartan defense that allowed Hesse to score.

Ira was tagged with the loss for Solon giving up seven runs – four earned – on seven hits in five innings of work. He added three walks and three strikeouts to his stat line before exiting in the top of the sixth. Harlan (29-5) advances to the 3A championship game and will face Carlisle at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday at Principal Park. Solon ends at 22-21.

Friday’s 3A semifinals scores
Carlisle 5, Pella 3
*Harlan 7, Solon 5

Friday’s 4A semifinals scores

Cedar Rapids Prairie 4, Waukee 3
Iowa City West 6, Des Moines Roosevelt 5

A couple from Jefferson, South Dakota is asking for the public’s help to find a lost bike which fell off their car when they left to go back home from RAGBRAI this week. Breanne Demers says she and her husband Jeffrey had to leave Tuesday because of work commitments, and made their way around the bike route on gravel before hitting the highway. “We got on Highway 25, we headed north and we then turned west on Highway 34. And we continued on that route and we stopped in Red Oak to get a bite to eat, and we happened to notice that the strap had broken on the rack,” Demers says.

She says here husband’s bike was last on the rack it had fallen off somewhere along the route. Jeffrey served three tours in Iraq and the bike has sentimental meaning to him, as he bought it following the final tour. “When he met me he got into biking and he didn’t have a nice road bike,” Breanne explains. “And on that tour as he was making money overseas, he was sticking a little bit aside…and he saved enough to buy this bike and all the components he wanted on it. So for him, it’s kind of like his little medal from coming back from overseas, you know, it has a lot of meaning to him.”

They put out a call on Facebook and some state biking websites asking if anyone had seen it, and got some idea of where it may’ve fallen off from a woman who called them.
The woman had seen the bike in the middle of road somewhere between one and three miles south of Highway 34 on Highway 25. The woman stopped and moved the bike to the should and called the Creston Police Department. Creston police told the couple the bike was gone by the time they were able to check on it. She says the sentimental background of the bike is the reason they want it back as they know he will probably need to get a new bike for rides.

“When an aluminum-framed road bike hits the pavement at 70-miles-an-hour — not likely it’s going to be real ridable, the frame will be bent. She says she told her husband he likely won’t be able to ride the bike distances as he used to anymore and he will have to get a new bike anyway . “He said ‘I know but I want that bike back’, I don’t care if it hangs in the garage, I can just see it every day.” The bike is white Specialized brand with red handle bars. It has an Albrechts bike shop sticker on it. If find the bike or know where it may be, please call Breanne at 712-635-3161.

(Radio Iowa)

CHICAGO (AP) – The Chicago Cubs activated outfielder Chris Coghlan from the disabled list Friday and optioned infielder Tommy La Stella to Triple-A Iowa. La Stella, who was hitting .295 in 105 at-bats with a .388 on-base percentage, didn’t take the news well, according to Cubs manager Joe Maddon.

La Stella had options remaining, which left him vulnerable. The Cubs needed a roster spot with Coghlan (ribs) healthy again after completing a rehab stint at Double-A Tennessee. They will need to make a decision soon on outfielder Jorge Soler (hamstring), who also is on a rehab assignment.

Maddon inserted Coghlan into left field and the leadoff spot for Friday’s game. Coghlan is hitting .155 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 70 games this season, batting .194 since the Cubs reacquired him earlier this season.

DAYTON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say one of the founders of the Dayton Rodeo has died during a fire at his Dayton home. The Webster County medical examiner pronounced 98-year-old Allen Porter dead at the scene Thursday. Dr. Dan Cole told The Messenger that Porter’s body was found in a hallway. An autopsy has been ordered.  Fire officials say Porter’s caretaker escaped through a window. The fire cause is being investigated.

A Dayton Wranglers Saddle Club account of the rodeo’s history says Porter helped started the event in 1937 with Duane Vegors and Vern Danielson. They began with rope trucks in the city park. Porter will be honored during an empty saddle ceremony at the rodeo. It’s scheduled for Sept. 5 at 1:30 p.m.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Chris Parks.

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CLASS 3A STATE TOURNAMENT

11 a.m. — Carlisle (32-6) vs. Pella (31-8)
1:30 p.m. — Harlan (28-5) vs. Solon (22-20)

CLASS 4A STATE TOURNAMENT

5 p.m. — Waukee (31-11) vs. Cedar Rapids Prairie (36-6)
7:30 p.m. — Iowa City West (34-6) vs. Des Moines Roosevelt (33-10)

Semifinals winners will play for the State Championship Title in both classes on Saturday, at Principal Park, in Des Moines.