By Sara StrongAs the city of Luverne welcomes Total Card Inc. to town, Gov. Tim Pawlenty will also be on hand to welcome the South Dakota business expansion to Minnesota.Friday’s celebration starts in the early morning, when the city will close the Minnwest Bank block of Main Street. There, the community will have a free lunch, sponsored by the city and various businesses and groups.Mayor Glen Gust said to the Luverne City Council Tuesday night that the group of entrepreneurs who run TCI are stellar people and he has faith in them.Gust said, "They like what they’ve got and they’re going to grow."The council basked in the afterglow of the finalized deal at its Tuesday meeting.They talked about how other offers TCI had for expansion in different cities were better in some respects, but Luverne won out.The large, finished former Tri-State Insurance building along with solid telecommunications infrastructure sealed the deal almost more than the tax benefits of JOBZ.Councilman Pat Baustian said it is important to recognize PrairieWave and the technology backbone that it has in place. To locate in many other cities, TCI would have had to wait for technology upgrades it needs now.Baustian said the Technology and Telecommunications Committee, and Barb Berghorst as a key part of that group, had foresight years ago that laid the groundwork for the infrastructure.City Administrator Greg LaFond said Luverne’s ability to attract this kind of large employer serves as an inspiration to repeat it."We know what we have, let’s go sell it," he said.Berghorst, the city’s finance officer, said, "There are a lot of people looking at us saying, ‘How can we do that?’ It’s just awesome."Other city administrators and economic development workers have contacted the city to find how it lured the business.LaFond said they are generally surprised that the city didn’t have to pay more upfront to get TCI here.Last week, the city received a $500,000 check from TCI for the former Tri-State building. TCI decided not to finance the purchase of the building through the city.There are other perks in the final deal, but Luverne’s offer still didn’t match what other cities were willing to pay to get the company.The building’s existence, Job Opportunity Building Zone tax breaks and location all played big factors in its decision to expand here.Community effortLaFond called Friday’s celebration plans a "tremendous community event." He acknowledged Sue Gruis, Lila Bauer and Dave Smith in particular for helping to plan the celebration.Other community groups and businesses volunteered donations of goods, services or money to make the event bigger than the usual acknowledgement ceremony:Beaver Creek Mutual Insurance Company, Blue Mound Banquet and Meeting Center, Cattleman’s Association, Coffey Haus, Dairy Producers, Edgerton Bakery, First Farmers & Merchants National Bank, Glen’s Food Center, Gold ‘N Plump, Jarchow Enterprises, K101/KQAD, Luverne Building Center, Luverne Chamber of Commerce, Luverne Fire Department, Luverne Municipal Electric Utility, Luverne Public Works, Luverene Public Schools, M-M Distributing, Minnwest Bank, Missouri River Energy Service, Old Dutch, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co., Pizza Ranch, Pork Producers, Prairie Heights Bison, Rock County, Sioux Valley Clinic, Sioux Valley Energy, State Farm Insurance and Tollefson Publishing, the Rock County Star Herald.The luncheon will include pizza, chips, chicken, bison, pork, beef and fixings.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton track teams traveled to Pipestone Saturday to participate in the Pipestone Invitational.The H-BC-E-E athletes were subjected to summer-like temperatures for the first time this season, but they seemed to adapt well to the conditions."I think both our boys and girls had a pretty good day," said H-BC-E-E coach Tom Goehle. "The kids had to adjust to running in the heat and wind, but they seemed to adapt well. We welcome the warm weather, but the sun does take a lot out of the kids."H-BC-E-E helped form seven-team fields in the Class A version of the meet. No team points are compiled at the meet.The H-BC-E-E boys turned in a strong performance by winning five events and placing second in two others during the day.Tom LeBoutillier claimed two meet titles by winning the 110- and 300-meter hurdles with respective 15.96 and 42.83 times.Tyler Bush won the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:53.15, and ran legs with H-BC-E-E’s winning 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams.Kale Wiertzema, Lee Jackson, Greg Van Batavia and Bush won the 3,200 in 8:52.2. Wiertzema, LeBoutillier, Jackson and Bush took top honors in the 1,600 with a time of 3:41.28.John Sandbulte and Cody Scholten placed second in individual events for the Patriots. Sandbulte covered 36-9 in the triple jump. Scholten cleared 6-0 in the high jump.The highlight of the meet for the H-BC-E-E girls proved to be a pair of third-place efforts turned in by the 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams.Amanda Connors, Cassi Tilstra, Mya Mann and Kelly Mulder ran the 400 in 53.98. Amanda and Cassi Tilstra, Mann and Connors turned in a 4:28.01 in the 1,600.The H-BC-E-E squads are scheduled to run at the West Lyon Invitational (near Inwood, Iowa) Tuesday.Here is a look at the rest of the Top 6 efforts turned in by H-BC-E-E athletes during the meet.H-BC-E-E boysThird place: Scholten, 100, 11.84; Derek Haak, 800, 2:20.51.Fourth place: Bush, high jump, 5-10; LeBoutillier, discus, 115-5; 800 relay (Soeren Trebesch, Sandbulte, Roger DeBoer and Scholten), 1:45.13; Trebesch, 400, 58.9; Wiertzema, 1,600, 5:15.12; Van Batavia, 800, 2:22.73.Fifth place: Haak, 3,200, 11:30; Paul DeLeoncepeda, 110 hurdles, 18.62; 400 relay (DeLeoncepeda, DeBoer, Trebesch and Sandbulte), 49-85.Sixth place: Dustin Verhey, 3,200, 11:51; DeLeoncepeda, 100, 12.09; Sandbulte, 300 hurdles, 47.23.H-BC-E-E girlsFourth place: Kari Roozenboom, triple jump, 27.8; C.Tilstra, high jump, 4-10; Rosie Lewis, shot, 31-7; 800 relay (Shelly Sas, Lewis, Chelsi Fink and Mulder), 2:02.46.Fifth place: A.Tilstra, triple jump, 27-5; Rayna Sandoval, 3,200, 13:35.Sixth place: Lacey Latten, 400, 1:15.09.

By John RittenhouseKerri Fransman and the Luverne softball team played four games in a three-day span late last week.The Cardinals lost both ends of a Southwest Conference doubleheader against Redwood Valley in Redwood Falls Thursday. Luverne went 1-1 and placed third during the Martin County West Tournament Saturday in Welcome.Fransman, a Hills-Beaver Creek High School freshman, played in all four games. She was one-for-11 at the plate with two RBIs during her plate appearances.Luverne lost a 5-0 decision to Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin in the first game of Saturday’s tournament in Welcome before posting its first win of the season, a 16-6 victory over Southwest United, in the third-place game.Fransman was hitless in two trips to the plate in the game against ML-B-O, but she did draw one walk.H-BC’s team member was zero-for-two in the win against SWU, but she drew another walk in the game and received credit for an RBI.Fransman delivered her first varsity hit during Thursday’s Southwest Conference doubleheader against Redwood Valley in Redwood Falls.RWV swept the twin bill by 7-5 and 16-12 tallies.Fransman was hitless in three trips to the plate during the two-run loss in Game 1.The H-BC freshman delivered a big hit in Game 2 when she slapped a two-run triple in what ended as a four-run loss.Fransman was one-for-four at the plate in the finale.The 1-5 Cardinals will play a SWC doubleheader in Marshall today.

By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek High School junior Zach Wysong helped the Luverne baseball team win three games since last Thursday.Luverne swept a Southwest Conference doubleheader from Redwood Valley in Redwood Falls Thursday. The Cardinals coasted to a 15-4 win over Murray County Central in Luverne Monday.Wysong, who played shortstop and pitched one inning during the three games, went two-for-eight at the plate.The H-BC athlete singled twice and scored two runs during Monday’s game against MCC. Luverne won the tilt by the 10-run rule after four and one-half innings of play.Wysong had a rough day at the plate, but he did make other contributions when the Cardinals swept a Southwest Conference doubleheader from Redwood Valley in Redwood Falls Thursday.Wysong was hitless in five official trips to the plate during the twin bill, but he pitched one inning in the opener and scored one run in the finale.Luverne won Game 1 by a 9-3 tally.Wysong, who was zero-for-three at the dish, pitched a scoreless seventh inning. He fanned one batter and allowed one single.The Cardinals took Game 2 by a 14-3 margin in a contest that ended after four and one-half innings of play due to the 10-run rule.Wysong didn’t get a hit in two official plate appearances, but he was hit by a pitch and scored one run during a seven-run outburst in the bottom of the first inning.Luverne will take a three-game winning streak into today’s doubleheader against Marshall in Luverne.The Cardinals will play a single game in Worthington Saturday and one game at home against Pipestone Tuesday.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne girls’ golf team went 1-2 when it played three matches on the road since last Thursday.The Cardinals fell by nine strokes in Pipestone Thursday before posting a six-stroke win over Hull Western Christian in Hull, Iowa, Monday. Luverne slipped to 0-2 in Southwest Conference play after dropping a seven-stroke decision in Worthington Tuesday.Luverne, 3-2 overall, hosts Red Rock Central today and Windom Monday before playing in Marshall Tuesday.Worthington 204,Luverne 211Luverne dropped two matches off the pace in SWC play when it lost a seven-stroke decision to the Trojans during a wet and cool day in Worthington Tuesday.Erin Schlichte shot a 47 to secure medalist honors and lead the Trojans to victory.Luverne, which was plagued by penalty strokes during the match, received a 49 from Alyssa Klein.Mindy Lysne and Nikki Van Dyk contributed 53- and 54-stroke rounds to the team effort, while Jessica Klein and Lindsey Severtson carded 55s.Brittany Boeve shot a 59 without influencing the scoring.Kaia Nowatzki shot a 57 to lead the Luverne B squad to a win over the Trojans.Luverne 200, HWC 206The Cardinals regained their winning form by topping Hull Western Christian by six strokes in Hull, Iowa, Monday.Senior Lysne captured medalist honors for the meet by shooting a 47 to lead the Cards.Alyssa Klein contributed a 49 to the team tally, while Boeve and Van Dyk rounded out the scoring with 49s.Jessica Klein and Severtson shot respective 53- and 54-stroke rounds without influencing the scoring.Laura Rozeboom carded a 49 to lead HWC.Abby Kooiker shot a 55 to lead the Luverne B squad to a win over HWC.Pipestone 186,Luverne 195The Cardinals were unable to open SWC play with a victory when they dropped a nine-stroke decision to the Arrows in Pipestone Thursday.Pipestone’s Marci Eitreim played well on her home course, leading the Arrows to victory by shooting a four-over-par 40 to collect medalist honors for the meet.Lysne fired an 11-over-par 47 to lead the Cardinals.Van Dyk, Jessica Klein and Boeve contributed 48-, 49- and 51-stroke efforts to Luverne’s team tally.Alyssa Klein and Severtson shot 55- and 60-stroke rounds without impacting the scoring.Nowatzki shot a 56 to lead the Cardinals to a win in the B squad match.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian baseball team had a three-game winning streak snapped when it lost a two-run decision in Pipestone Monday.The streak reached three straight games with an 11-run victory over Comfrey-Cedar Mountain in Comfrey Friday and a 10-run home win over Red Rock Central-Westbrook-Walnut Grove Thursday.The 4-3 Dragons were scheduled to play Murray County Central in Slayton Tuesday, but the tilt was postponed until tomorrow. Adrian plays Southwest United in Heron Lake today and hosts Windom Monday.Pipestone 4, Adrian 2A three-game winning streak came to an end when the Dragons lost a two-run game in Pipestone Monday.The Arrows opened a 4-0 lead by scoring three runs in the second inning and one in the fourth, and withstood a late challenge by the Dragons to win by two.Adrian’s two runs came in the top of the fifth, when it loaded the bases with a single by Levi Bullerman and walks to Cody Kontz and Brandon Wolf. Glen Kruger plated Kontz and Bullerman with a two-run double.Wolf pitched the first three innings and took the loss after yielding four runs, five hits and two walks. Kontz tossed three innings of scoreless, two-hit relief.Adrian 16, C-CM 5The Dragons scored 10 runs in the first two innings and strolled to an 11-run win in a game that ended by the 10-run rule Friday in Comfrey.Adrian scored four runs in the top of the first inning and never lost the lead while recording its third straight win.Kruger, one of three Dragons to drive in three runs in the game, contributed a sacrifice fly and Will Lutmer started a three-hit performance with a three-run homer to give AHS a 4-0 lead in the first.Comfrey-Cedar Mountain answered with two runs in the bottom of the first to trail 4-2, but Adrian exploded for six runs in the second to open a 10-2 cushion.Kruger delivered a two-run double to highlight the second-inning uprising. David Hoffer, Bullerman and Brandon Wolf slapped one-run singles. Kontz added an RBI double.C-CM scored three runs in the bottom of the second to make it 10-5 before Adrian capped the scoring with two runs in the fourth inning and four in the fifth.Nick Weidert, who had two hits in the game, singled home a run and Tyler Wolf picked up an RBI for a fielder’s choice in the fourth.Bullerman belted a two-run homer to cap a two-hit game in the fifth. Jonas Boltjes added an RBI single and Weidert walked with the bases loaded to account for the final two runs.Brandon Wolf led AHS with four hits. Kontz added two safeties.Brandon Diekmann pitched the first three innings and received the win. He allowed five runs and six hits. Tyler Wolf pitched two innings of shutout relief.Adrian 13,RRC-W-WG 3The Dragons won back-to-back games for the first time this season when they rolled to a 10-run home win over the Falcons Thursday.Adrian scored at least one-run in every inning and won the game by the 10-run rule when it was batting in the bottom half of the fifth inning.The Dragons took a 3-0 lead in the first inning without the benefit of a hit. Hoffer walked and scored on an error, Brandon Wolf reached base on an error and scored on a wild pitch and Kruger walked and scored on an error.Bullerman doubled home a pair of runs to highlight a four-run second inning that gave Adrian a 7-0 lead. Kruger singled home a run and Diekmann added an RBI double to the rally.The teams exchanged runs in the third inning. Lutmer walked and scored on a single by Kontz to make it an 8-1 game for AHS.RRC-W-WG plated a pair of runs in the fourth inning, but Adrian countered with one run in the bottom of the fourth before ending the contest with a four-run fifth inning.Wolf singled and scored on a fielder’s choice by Diekmann in the fourth. Kruger capped a three-hit game with a two-run double in the fifth. Hoffer added an RBI single and Bullerman pitched in a sacrifice fly to the game-ending rally.Kontz yielded three earned runs as the starting pitcher and picked up the win. He allowed eight hits and fanned three batters. Wolf tossed one and one-third innings of one-hit, scoreless relief.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys’ golf team posted back-to-back wins early this week after dropping their first match of the season last Thursday.The Cardinals lost a six-stroke decision in Pipestone to open Southwest Conference play Thursday. Luverne then won a 10-stroke match against Hull Western Christian in Hull, Iowa, Monday before evening its league record with a one-shot win in Worthington Tuesday.Luverne, 4-1 overall, hosts Red Rock Central today and Windom Monday before traveling to Marshall Tuesday.Luverne 162,Worthington 163The Cardinals ended a long spell of losing matches to the Trojans when they nipped WHS at the Worthington Country Club Tuesday.Cardinal coach Chris Nowatzki couldn’t remember the last time LHS beat WHS, but he was happy to see the boys prevail on the road.Colby Anderson, who shared medalist honors with Worthington’s Jeremy Berger, fired a 37 to pace LHS.Jesson Vogt added a 41 to the winning effort, while Steven Berghorst and Andy Haakenson capped the scoring with 42s.David Nelson and Kirk Oldre shot respective 43- and 44-stroke rounds without padding the team tally.WHS topped Luverne in the B match. Grant Oldre shot a 47 to lead the Cards.Luverne 156, HWC 166Luverne bounced back from its first loss of the season by defeating Hull Western Christian by 10 strokes in Hull, Iowa, Monday.Cardinal Nelson set the stage for victory by firing a 35 to lead all players during the meet.Haakenson turned in a 39, while Anderson and Vogt added 41s to the team tally.Berghorst and Kirk Oldre shot 44- and 46-stroke rounds without influencing the scoring.Jeff Elgersman led the hosts with a 38.HWC topped Luverne in the B match. Grant Oldre shot the low round (no score was available) for LHS.Pipestone 157,Luverne 163The Cardinals opened SWC play by dropping a six-stroke match to the Arrows in Pipestone Thursday.Pipestone’s Ben Morgan shot a par-36 to lead the Arrows to victory while locking up medalist honors for the meet.Luverne’s Anderson made a bid to nip Morgan by shooting a one-over-par 37 to lead the Cardinals.Steven Berghorst and Kirk Oldre contributed 41- and 42-stroke efforts to Luverne’s team tally, and Vogt and Haakenson chipped in 43s.Nelson carded a 45 without influencing the scoring.Grant Oldre shot a team-low 46 to help the Cardinals beat the Arrows in the B match.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne baseball team recorded its third consecutive victory by roughing up Murray County Central 15-4 at Redbird Field in Luverne Monday.The Cardinals scored 11 runs in the first three innings and coasted to an 11-run win in a game that ended by the 10-run rule after four and one-half innings of play.Mark Remme led Luverne’s potent offense with four RBIs. Jared Pick and Brad Herman added three RBIs each.Luverne assumed control of the contest by scoring 11 runs (one in the first, six in the second and four in the third) in the first three frames.Taylor Graphenteen, who scored four runs for the winners, walked and scored in the first when Remme produced a sacrifice fly.Adam Kurtz belted a two-run homer to highlight a six-run second inning that gave the Cards a 7-0 cushion.Herman and Graphenteen drove in one run each with singles, and Pick picked up an RBI in the second with a sacrifice fly.Remme singled home a pair of runs to cap Luverne’s four-run rally in the third. Zach Wysong singled and scored on a wild pitch to start the scoring in the inning. Herman received an RBI for a ground out.MCC tried to get back into the game when it scored four runs in the top of the fourth, but the Cards answered with four runs in the bottom half of the inning before blanking the Rebels in the fifth.Pick supplied the key blow in the fourth when he slapped a two-run double. Remme and Herman added RBI singles.J.T. Bruynes tossed the first three and two-thirds innings without gaining a decision. He allowed four runs (three were earned), five walks and two hits. Rob Fodness pitched one and one-third innings of scoreless, four-hit relief to pick up the win.Luverne, a winner of three straight games, hosts Marshall for a doubleheader today. The 6-1 Cards play one game in Worthington Saturday before hosting Pipestone for one game Tuesday.Box score AB R H BIGraphenteen 1 4 1 1Pick 2 1 2 3Kurtz 3 1 2 2Remme 3 0 2 4Fodness 4 0 0 0Wysong 3 2 2 0Boen 3 3 3 0Reisch 0 0 0 0Tofteland 0 2 0 0Herman 3 2 2 3

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne softball team posted its first victory of the season during the Martin County West Tournament in Welcome Saturday.The Cardinals went 1-1 and placed third at the tourney, losing to Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin and topping Southwest United.Luverne opened Southwest Conference play by dropping a doubleheader in Redwood Falls Thursday.The 1-5 Cards play a SWC twin bill in Marshall today.MCW tourneyThe Cardinals split games to place third during Saturday’s four-team tournament in Welcome.ML-B-O blanked the Cards 5-0 in the opener. Luverne bounced back to secure its first win of the season besting SWU 16-6 in five innings.The Cards slapped six hits without producing a run against the Wolverines in the opener. ML-B-O scored two runs in the first and sixth innings and added a single run in the third.Stacy Lorenzen tossed all six innings for LHS. She fanned eight batters while allowing five hits and five walks.No Cardinal had more than one hit in the game.After surrendering three runs in the top of the first inning to SWU in the second game, Luverne rallied to record a lopsided win by the 10-run rule.Luverne scored seven runs in each of the first and second innings before adding two more in the third to run away from SWU.Natalie Domagala belted two homers and drove in three runs with three hits in the win. Jessy Behr slapped three hits and recorded three RBIs. Taylor Nelson added three hits, Lorenzen knocked in three runs with two hits, Tori Snyder contributed two hits and two RBIs, and Jessa Dahl added two hits.Sarah Wynia started the game on the mound for LHS, but she was lifted in favor of Lorenzen after registering one out. Lorenzen tossed the next three and two-thirds innings to get the win. Snyder pitched one inning.RWV twin billThe Cardinals were unable to break into the win column when they opened SWC play with a doubleheader in Redwood Falls Thursday.Redwood Valley edged the Cards 7-5 in Game 1 before taking the finale 16-12.After falling behind 2-0 in the opener, Luverne rallied to take a 4-2 edge by scoring one run in the top of the third inning and three counters in the fourth.RWV, however, moved in front 7-4 after scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth and limited the Cards to one run the rest of the game to prevail by two.Stacy Lorenzen pitched all six innings and took the loss. She walked three batters and fanned 10.Natalie Domagala, Jessy Behr and Jessa Dahl all slapped two hits in Game 1.Luverne sported 4-3, 6-4 and 11-10 leads in Game 2 before falling by four runs at game’s end.The score was knotted at 12 when RWV scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning before blanking LHS in the bottom half of the frame to win by four.Sarah Wynia pitched two and one-third innings, Lorenzen tossed three and two-thirds frames and Tori Snyder worked one inning.Domagala was five-for-five at the plate in the finale. Behr and Taylor Nelson had three hits each, and Snyder added two safeties.