Kirkwood Softball

Nearad hits for cycle as No. 4 Kirkwood rolls

Taylor Nearad put a big exclamation point on her bid to be named the National Player of the Year Friday.

Kirkwood's talented center-fielder hit for the cycle as the fourth-ranked Eagles ripped Ellsworth, 15-0, in five innings in the opening round of the regional softball tournament at Kirkwood.

Nearad collected a single and a two-run triple in the first inning when Kirkwood batted around and scored nine runs. She lined a two-run homer in the third inning and had an RBI double in the fourth.

The freshman from Solon went 4-for-4, drove in five runs and hit for the cycle with a single, double, triple and home run in just four innings.

Nearad is now hitting .619 with 26 home runs and 115 RBIs in 56 games as she bids for the NJCAA Division II Triple Crown. She also has 133 hits, 102 runs, 27 doubles and 11 triples and ranks No. 1 in the nation in numerous offensive categories.

Few people have seen anything like it.

"I have not, to be honest," said Kirkwood assistant coach Jenny Nelson, who was an All-American for the Eagles during her playing days. "It's pretty special to watch.

"And knowing how she is as a kid and a person, it makes me that much more proud of her. She's such a great kid and a great teammate."

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Yegge suspended for regional opener

Kirkwood softball coach Joe Yegge will miss the opening game of the regional tournament Friday while serving the final game of a three-game suspension.

Yegge was ejected from the second game of a doubleheader against Iowa Central Sunday after arguing a call at first base. Junior college coaches automatically receive a one-game suspension after being ejected from a game, but Yegge received a three-game suspension from the ICCAC conference due to his conduct on the field.

Kirkwood appealed the three-game suspension, asking the league to reduce it to a two-game suspension, but the appeal was denied.

Yegge served the first two games of his suspension when Kirkwood swept a doubleheader from Indian Hills Tuesday. He will be eligible to return to the dugout Saturday in the second round of the regional tournament.

Kirkwood (51-4) will face Ellsworth (6-45) in the regional opener Friday. Kirkwood assistant coaches Jenny Nelson and Kristen Winter will lead the team in Yegge's absence.

Pairings set for JUCO softball tourney

The Kirkwood Eagles will face Ellsworth in the opening round of the Regional XI-A softball tournament Friday at 2 p.m. at the Kirkwood field.

Southwestern will meet Iowa Lakes Friday at 4 p.m. in the other opener.

Kirkwood (49-4) is the No. 1 seed in the regional. Southwestern (25-24) is seeded fourth, Iowa Lakes (24-20) is fifth and Ellsworth (6-45) is eighth.

The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. The finals are Sunday at 12 p.m., with a second championship game Sunday at 2 p.m. if needed in the double-elimination tournament.

The regional champion will advance to the district tournament. The district champion will qualify for the national tournament.

Kirkwood compiled a 4-0 record during the regular season against all three opponents in the regional.

Carter lifts No. 4 Eagles after Yegge tossed

Gabi Carter and the Kirkwood Eagles kept their calm Sunday after Coach Joe Yegge was ejected during the second game of their doubleheader against Iowa Central.

The Eagles rallied from a 2-0 deficit and trimmed the Tritons, 3-2, in eight innings on Carter's two-out single that drove in Taylor Nearad with the winning run with Yegge watching through a window in nearby Johnson Hall.

Kirkwood won the first game, 8-0, and clinched the outright ICCAC Conference title with a 27-1 record.

Yegge was tossed in the second inning of the nightcap after arguing a bang-bang play at first base. Iowa Central took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two-run homer, but Kirkwood tied the game in the bottom of the sixth and grabbed the victory when Carter lashed a base hit inside the third-base line with runners at first and second.

Carter liked coming to the plate in the game-winning situation.

"It's definitely an energy rush, to be honest," said Carter, a Cedar Rapids Prairie grad. "I just knew I had to get the ball down on the ground because I'd been hitting everything in the air."

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