SPENCER — At the beginning of the week, the 2023 All-Lakes Conference baseball selections were announced. Six Spencer Tigers represented the conference across the first and second teams.

SERGEANT BLUFF — It was an old-fashioned rematch of the Class 3A Substate Final from last year. The Spencer Tigers traveled on down to Sergeant Bluff-Luton for another battle with the Warriors on Wednesday for this year's Class 3A Substate Final. The Tigers had their backs against the wall after leading all game, but battled their hearts out and pulled out a gritty 6-4 victory in eight innings over the Warriors.

SIOUX CITY — The Spencer Tigers baseball team traveled to Sioux City to compete in the Class 3A substate semifinal on Monday. The boys met Bishop Heelan at Lewis and Clark Park for the contest, home of the Sioux City Explorers baseball team. Spencer put together a four-run third inning, and that’s all the scoring they would need, shutting down the one seed in their bracket to win 4-0.

MISSOURI VALLEY — Sioux Central had a huge matchup with the Missouri Valley Lady Reds on Monday for a chance to compete in the Class 2A state tournament. Unfortunately, it would not go in favor of the Rebels, as Missouri Valley would score all eight of their runs in the first three innings. Sioux Central made progress in the deficit but could never come all the way back, losing the Class 2A-2 region final to the Lady Reds 8-4.

The Tigers currently sit at 21-7, advancing to the 2023 Class 3A-1 Substate Semifinal, where they will meet the Bishop Heelan Crusaders. The Tigers will look to advance to the Class 3A Substate Final.

HEFNER DOUBLES LATE; TOSSES COMPLETE GAME FOR TIGERS

Spencer laid it all on the line on Saturday at the Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge. The Dodgers were a top five-ranked team in Class 4A, and the Tigers took them to the end, allowing just four hits and losing on a walk-off by a fielder's choice.

TIGERS HEARTBROKEN IN CLASS 4A-1 SEMIFINAL

The Sioux Central Rebels had an impressive showing against the MVAOCOU Rams on Saturday at Peterson Brooke Memorial Field. After the victory on Saturday, the Rebels have officially won 13 games in a row.

CASEY GOES 4-4; JOHANNSEN HALTS RAMS ON MOUND

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is offering a program to teach skills needed to trap furbearers to anyone who has little to no trapping experience.

The eight workshops will feature several knowledge and skill building sessions with instructors that will teach the basics of trapping in Iowa.

There are a good number of anglers who enjoy open water fishing as well as ice fishing. Most of these anglers have equipment and lures for open water and another group of equipment and lures for ice fishing. While the equipment used for open water fishing and ice fishing is often different, there are lures that anglers use for ice fishing that will also produce in open water.

Anglers today have electronics that give a great insight into what’s below the surface of our water bodies: rock piles, dropoffs, long rocky points, weedlines, hard bottom and soft bottom. With side imaging, you can look to the left and the right and not only see the structure but also fish. We have underwater cameras … the list goes on and on. The Iowa Great Lakes region has several well-known and popular lakes, but it is West Lake Okoboji that brings water enthusiasts to this area.

SPENCER — There’s nothing quite like living in a smaller town, especially when you live in the Corn Belt of the United States. All childhood friends are near and dear to our hearts, especially the ones you spend a lot of time with. In sports, you become best friends with a lot of your teammates, and if you’re lucky, you can play with those friends for as long as possible. As a kid who played baseball for 18 years, it’s understandable to be super close with your baseball friends.

SPENCER — The Spencer Tigers finished their regular season on Monday against the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Warriors. The girls ended the 2023 campaign with a 14-14 record. The team finished the final 10 games of the season at 4-6 as the girls prepare for the postseason.

PETERSON — Sioux Central has proven they are one of the top teams in Class 2A for softball all season long; they advanced to the Class 2A-2 Regional Semifinal and will host another playoff game Friday at Peterson Brooke Memorial Field. The Rebels will be playing MVAOCOU at 7 p.m. for a chance to face Missouri Valley or Treynor in the Regional Final, with a chance for state on the line. The win was the 12th straight for Sioux Central and their 17th win in the last 18 contests.

ESTHERVILLE — The Sioux Central Rebels baseball season officially comes to an end. The team was defeated by Estherville Lincoln-Central in the Class 2A-1 Quarterfinal. The loss ended the season for Sioux Central, which finished the season with an overall record of 10-14. They would also finish 6-4 in the Twin Lakes Conference. Three seniors finished their final game as Sioux Central Rebels.

The Spencer Tiger softball team split its games during the week. In four contests, the Tigers won two and lost two. Spencer is currently sitting at 14-13 on the season. The girls are preparing for the postseason; they travel to Riverside Park in Sioux City to face Bishop Heelan on Thursday, July 6, at 7 p.m. Tickets for this event must be purchased online at www.gobound.com/ia/ighsau/softball/2022-23/tickets.