Kayla Tatge played Home Run Derby for the Kirkwood Eagles again Friday with three more clouts against Iowa Central.

Now she's tied for the national lead.

Tatge slugged her 11th, 12th and 13th homers of the season as the ninth-ranked Eagles swept the Tritons, 10-0 and 19-3, at the Kirkwood field in Cedar Rapids.

Both mismatches lasted only 4 1/2 innings due to the mercy rule.

Tatge, a sophomore from Milan, Ill., is tied for the national lead in home runs at the NJCAA Division II level with Kaley Pyles of Highland (Kan.) Community College, according to the NJCAA website.

Tatge has walloped 13 home runs in just 19 games for Kirkwood Community College (16-3, 4-0).

She hit four homers in a doubleheader against Ellsworth on Wednesday and has socked seven in her last four games.

"It's not something I try to do. It just kind of happens," she said.

"With all the weightlifting we do, it kind of helps. I don't know. I just go out there and play and do what I do."

Tatge hit 20 homers for Kirkwood last season in 56 games, but she's quickened the pace this year with 13 homers in 19 outings. She's hitting .407 with 31 RBIs after driving in eight runs Friday.

"She had a good day," said Kirkwood Coach Joe Yegge, who has grown accustomed to awesome displays of power on his club.

Tatge struck out in her first two at-bats Friday before finding the groove.

"I'm not feeling the best today, but that's not an excuse," she said. "I got right back into it the third at-bat and did what I was supposed to do."

Tatge hit a solo home run in her third and final at-bat in the opener. That pointed her in the right direction for the nightcap, where she drew a walk, walloped a three-run homer to left-center and capped her day with a grand slam to left field.

Kirkwood belted six homers in the doubleheader and has 37 home runs in 19 games, an average of nearly two a game.

Kristen Winter, a sophomore from Cedar Rapids Xavier, joined the fun with a three-run shot in the opener. She is hitting .444 with four homers and 24 RBIs this season.

Kirkwood boasts a lusty team batting average of .368 and has outscored its opponents, 184-33. There's not a weak stick in the lineup.

"For us, it's all the way through the lineup," said Winter. "I'm so happy with what everyone is doing.

"It's all the way around a group effort from everyone, so I'm very happy, very excited."

The Eagles even showed some power off the bench as pinch-hitters Jaden Compton and Hannah McInerney knocked the ball out of the park in their only at-bats. Compton hit a grand slam, and McInerney, a freshman from Cedar Rapids Jefferson, hit a solo shot.

Amber Logemann pitched a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the opener, just two days after tossing a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts against Ellsworth. She has fanned 22 batters in her last 10 innings.

Iowa Central (9-13, 1-3) has been weakened this season by the loss of six players, including five for disciplinary reasons.

Kirkwood is scheduled to host Southwestern in a doubleheader Saturday at noon.

GAME 1

IOWA CENTRAL (0): Krantz, cf, 2 0 0 0, Newbury, lf, 2 0 1 0, Penneau, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Hildreth, c, 2 0 0 0, Koethe, rf, 2 0 0 0, Rustvold, 3b, 2 0 0 0, VanDenBerg, p, 1 0 0 0, Frahm, ss, 1 0 0 0, Simms, dp, 1 0 0 0, Peterson, 1b, 0 0 0 0. Totals 15 0 1 0.

KIRKWOOD (10): Duffe, ss, 3 1 1 0, Winter, 2b, 3 2 2 3, Tatge, rf, 3 1 1 1, Krack, 3b, 3 2 2 0, Saladino, dp, 2 1 1 2, Tutsch, c, 1 1 1 1, Boehm, pr, 0 0 0 0, Sales, lf, 2 1 1 2, Campbell, 1b, 3 0 1 1, Crist, cf, 2 1 1 0, Logemann, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 22 10 11 10.

Iowa Central   000 00 - 0 1 0

Kirkwood       024 4x - 10 11 0

VanDenBerg and Hildreth. Logemann and Tustsch. W - Logemann (5-3). L - VanDenBerg. 2B - Krack, Saladino, Campbell. HR - Winter, Tatge. SB - Sales, Crist.

GAME 2

IOWA CENTRAL (3): Krantz, cf, 2 0 0 0, Hernandez, ph, 1 0 0 0, Newbury, lf, 2 1 2 0, DeWitt, ph, 1 0 0 0, Penneau, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Morrison, ph, 1 0 0 0, Hildreth, c/3b, 2 1 1 1, Koethe, dp/p, 2 1 1 0, Rustvold, 3b/p, 1 0 0 0, Fisher, 3b, 1 0 1 1, VanDenBerg, p/c, 2 0 1 1, Frahm, ss, 1 0 0 0, Dobernecker, ph, 1 0 0 0, Simms, rf, 2 0 0 0, Peterson, 1b, 0 0 0 0. Totals 21 3 6 3.

KIRKWOOD (19): Duffe, ss, 3 1 1 0, Weber, 1b, 1 1 1 1, Winter, 2b, 2 3 0 0, Tatge, rf/cf, 2 2 2 7, Krack, 3b, 3 0 0 0, McInerney, ph/3b, 1 1 1 1, Saladino, dp/p, 3 1 2 1, Smith, pr, 0 1 0 0, Tutsch, c, 1 1 0 0, Listenbee, pr/rf, 0 1 0 0, Sales, lf, 2 2 1 0, Boehm, ph/lf, 0 1 0 0, Campbell, 1b/ss, 2 2 2 2, Crist, cf/c, 3 1 0 0, Compton, ph, 1 1 1 4, Belz, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 24 19 11 16.

Iowa Central    000 30 - 3 6 3

Kirkwood        134 (11)x - 19 11 0

VanDenBerg, Koethe (3), Rustvold (4) and Hildreth, Vandenberg (3). Belz, Saladino (4) and Tutsch, Crist (5). W - Belz (6-0). L - VanDenBerg. 2B - Hildreth, Campbell. HR - Tatge (2), McInerney, Compton.