CLINTON, Miss. - The Kirkwood softball team suffered two stunning defeats at the national tournament Thursday and is now facing a long, sad bus ride home from Mississippi.

Coach Joe Yegge's second-ranked Eagles lost to 11th-ranked Cowley County, 4-3, in the winners bracket semifinals Thursday and immediately had to play  again in the losers bracket.

Perhaps still shaken, the Eagles promptly lost to Illinois Central, 6-0, and were eliminated from the tournament with two losses in three games.

Kirkwood ripped Illinois Central, 9-0, n five innings in March, but the rematch went to Illinois Central in a stunner.

Kirkwood finished the season with a 55-6 record. Cowley County advanced to the winners bracket semifinals at 45-15, and Illinois Central stayed alive in the losers bracket at 27-23.

Kirkwood's game against Cowley County was tied, 2-2,after six innings. Cowley County belted two solo home runs in the top of the seventh against Kirkwood ace Lexi Kinnaird for a 4-2 lead.

Lexi Ferrari led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to make it 4-3, but Taylor Nearad, Maddie Hansen and DoniRae Mayhew - the heart of the Kirkwood lineup - were retired to end the game.

Illinois Central collected 15 hits in the losers bracket game against Kirkwood, including four runs in the bottom of the fourth against Angie McBeain.

The Eagles had only four hits in the game.

The NJCAA Division II national tournament will continue Friday and Saturday, but it will continue without the No. 2 team in the country.

GAME 1

Cowley County    200 000 2 - 4 7 1
Kirkwood         010 010 1 - 3 7 0

W - Wenzel. L - Kinnaird

GAME 2

Kirkwood           000 000 0 - 0 4 2
Illinois Central   041 010 x - 6 15 1

W - Shaw. L - McBeain.