WATERLOO - NIACC bunched three of its four hits in the fourth inning and scored twice to down Kirkwood, 2-1, Friday in the first round of the NJCAA Division II Region XI baseball tournament at Riverfront Stadium.

The loss was the fourth for Kirkwood in five games against NIACC this season.

Kirkwood drops into the losers bracket where it will play top-seeded DMACC on Saturday morning at 10 in an elimination game. DMACC was beaten by No.8 seed Southwestern, 2-1, Friday.

Kirkwood (30-15) had taken a 1-0 lead against NIACC in the third inning on a two-out RBI single by Dennis Colon.

NIACC (23-15) got back-to-back singles leading off its fourth inning and a sacrifice bunt put the runners at second and third. Reynaldo Sala's RBI single tied the game.

The Trojans scored a second run when Tanner Unkel's pop fly was caught in foul territory by Kirkwood second baseman Ozzie Adams and the runner at third tagged up and scored. Unkel prepped at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

Kirkwood's Cale Henke was the tough-luck loser, limiting NIACC to four hits while striking out four in nine innings.

NIACC's Lucas Bakker scattered seven hits over nine innings and struck out five for the win.

KIRKWOOD (1): Schenck-Joblinske, lf, 4 1 1 0, Rodriguez, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Gonzalez, c, 3 0 0 0, Jones, dh, 4 0 2 0, Thompson, pr, 0 0 0 0, Colon, ss, 4 0 2 1, Fleiz, cf, 4 0 0 0, Hernandez, 1b, 4 0 1 0, Adams, 2b, 4 0 1 0, Kemp, rf, 4 0 0 0, Henke, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 34 1 7 1.

NIACC (2): Voves, rf, 3 0 0 0, Guba, dh, 3 0 0 0, Stuart, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Verstegen, cf, 3 1 1 0, Waletich, 1b, 3 1 1 0, King, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Sala, ss, 3 0 1 1, Unkel, lf, 3 0 0 1, Swenson, c, 3 0 1 0, Bakker, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 26 2 4 2.

Kirkwood  001 000 000 - 1 7 0
NIACC     000 200 00x - 2 4 1

Henke and Gonzalez. Bakker and Swenson. W - Bakker. L - Henke. 2B - Adams. T - 2:00.