CLINTON, Miss. - Amber Logemann struck out 14 batters and fired a one-hitter and Leah Duffe and Lauren Smith belted home runs as Kirkwood drubbed CCBC-Catonsville, Md., 10-1, Wednesday in the opening round of the NJCAA DII national softball tournament.

The win was the 49th straight for Kirkwood (56-3) and moved it into Thursday's quarterfinals against sixth-seeded Illinois Central (28-13) at 3:30 p.m. A loss would put the Eagles into a losers' bracket game at 5:30 p.m.

The 56 wins set a school record.

If Kirkwood felt any nerves entering the game, the Eagles did not show it.

The big stage seemed to be just another day at the office for the third-seeded Eagles.

And why not?  The Eagles are accustomed to winning.

The feeling of looseness, however, was not reciprocated by the 14th-seeded CCBC Cardinals.

Cheering and chanting are sounds one expects to hear coming from a college softball dugout. Logemann silenced the Cardinal bench and bats.

Logemann was dominant. She struck out the side in the first inning and tallied 14 K’s for the game. She allowed just a single hit.

No Cardinal reached base until the fourth inning (an error), and the Eagles allowed only one run.

On the offensive side, the Eagles did what they do best. They got runners aboard and then drove them in with the long ball.

Duffe swatted a three-run shot in the second inning. Smith's two-run home run in the sixth ended the game via the 8-run mercy rule.

“There’s not a selfish person on our team,” said Kirkwood Coach Joe Yegge. “They play for each other, and that’s what makes this group so special.”

Kirkwood had 12 hits. Duffe had three, and Smith and Shelby Crist had two apiece.

While the Eagles soared against CCBC-Catonsville, Yegge stressed that they did not play anywhere close to their potential. They had two errors and Logemann plunked two batters.

And that is what could be most exciting about the next three days.

The double-elimination tournament concludes Saturday.

NJCAA DII SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Wednesday

First Round
Kirkwood 10, CCBC-Catonsville, Md. 1
LSU-Eunice 12, Murray St., Okla. 4
Mercyhurst NE, Pa. 2, Kankakee, Ill. 0
Jones County, Miss. 11, Lincoln Land, Ill. 1
Cowley County, Kan. 11, Cuyohoga, Ohio 3
Illinois Central 8, Kalamazoo Valley, Mich. 3
Highland, Kan. 6, Sauk Valley, Ill. 1
Phoenix, Ariz. 9, Burlington County, NJ 1

Thursday

Winners' Bracket Quarterfinals
Kirkwood (56-3) vs. Illinois Central (28-13), 3:30 p.m.
LSU-Eunice (58-5) vs. Mercyhurst NE, Pa. (44-10), 3:30 p.m.
Jones County, Miss. (43-8) vs. Cowley County, Kan. (51-6), 3:30 p.m.
Highland, Kan. (38-8) vs. Phoenix, Ariz. (45-15), 3:30 p.m.

Losers' Bracket
Murray St., Okla. (20-38) vs. Kankakee, Ill. (38-9), 1:30 p.m.
Lincoln Land, Ill. (28-26) vs. Cuyahoga, Ohio (23-13), 1:30 p.m.
CCBC-Catonsville, Md. (38-10) vs. Kalamazoo Valley, Mich. (34-15), 1:30 p.m.
Sauk Valley, Ill. (34-14) vs. Burlington County, NJ (37-16), 1:30 p.m.

Losers' Bracket Quarterfinals
Kirkwood/Illinois Central loser vs. Lincoln Land/Cuyohoga winner, 5:30 p.m.
Highland/Phoenix loser vs. Murray St./Kankakee winner, 5:30 p.m.
Jones County/Cowley County loser vs. CCBC-Catonsville/Kalamazoo Valley winner, 5:30 p.m.
LSU-Eunice/Mercyhurst loser vs. Sauk Valley/Burlington County winner, 5:30 p.m.