The second half of the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference baseball schedule begins tonight in Des Moines vs. Saydel for the Greene County Rams. Coach Mark Sawhill’s team is 3-8 overall and 3-6 in conference play after going 0-5 last week including dropping three conference games. Saydel has lost in conference action only to league leader North Polk (Alleman), so the challenge tonight is a stiff one.

The Rams received some good news late last week when regular starting catcher Jordan Challen returned from a football related ankle injury that caused him to miss four games. Challen was behind the plate for the Rams on Friday night when they lost 6-3 to NP, ranked second in Class 2A. Riah Nelsen has been relegated to Designated Hitter duties for over a week due to shoulder problems. He entered the season with an elbow issue, and hasn’t pitched since June 4, but the junior is hopeful he’ll take the mound sometime this week.

The next Greene County game scheduled for broadcast on KG98 is Thursday, June 19 at Allensworth Field in Jefferson vs. non-conference opponent Bondurant-Farrar.