Kirkwood Softball

KCC softball facing Dawson in district

The second-ranked Kirkwood softball team will be riding a bus all the way to Montana this week for the district tournament.

Kirkwood (52-4) will face Dawson (23-10) on Dawson's home field in Glendive, Mont., on Thursday in the best-of-3 series.

Kirkwood and Dawson will play two games on Thursday. A third game, if necessary, would be played Friday.

The district champion advances to the NJCAA Division II national tournament in Clinton, Miss., May 17-20.

Kirkwood topped Dawson in the district tournament last year at Kirkwood, 10-2 and 15-3, with both games lasting only five innings.

Hansen makes bid for Player of Year

Maddie Hansen used to be a base-clogger. Now she's a base-clearer. And she might be the National Player of the Year as one of the stars for the Kirkwood softball team.

Hansen belted her 18th home run Friday and added to her sterling credentials as the second-ranked Eagles dumped Southwestern, 18-1, to claim the regional title at Kirkwood.

Kirkwood Coach Joe Yegge termed the phrase "base-clogger" to describe Hansen when the All-American catcher arrived on campus in 2015 from Cedar Rapids Jefferson, but that was before Hansen dropped 25 pounds  thanks to a heavy diet of racquetball.

"I was pretty slow as a base-runner when I got here," she acknowledged Friday. "I lost a lot of weight my freshman year and I became more athletic, and I think that's helped me get where I am."

It's helped her climb to the top of the charts in junior college softball. Hansen leads the nation with 90 RBIs, is tied for second with 18 homers and ranks fourth in batting with a .537 average.

On top of that, she's an outstanding catcher.

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McBeain stars as Eagles sink Lakers

Angie McBeain has made a powerful impact on the Kirkwood softball team this season as a freshman.

Powerful arm. Powerful bat.

McBeain starred as a hitter and pitcher Thursday as the second-ranked Eagles topped 16th-ranked Iowa Lakes, 12-4, in six innings in the second round of the regional tournament at Kirkwood.

Kirkwood (51-4) will face Southwestern (9-27) in the championship round again Friday at noon. The Eagles need one more victory to win the regional title, but the Spartans would have to win twice in the  double-elimination tourney to earn the crown.

McBeain, who hails from Prior Lake, Minn., went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and four RBIs Thursday. She also pitched well in relief, allowing no runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Lexi Kinnaird, who set the Kirkwood record with her 51st victory in  the opening round Wednesday, suffered a rough patch in the fourth inning against Iowa Lakes and was touched for four runs, but McBeain came to the rescue and stopped the bleeding.

McBeain is hitting .433 with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs, and she's compiled a 19-1 record and 1.72 ERA in the circle.

DoniRae Mayhew, another talented freshman who can hit and pitch, also socked a three-run homer Thursday. She's hitting .441 with 15 homers and 74 RBIs, along with a 5-0 record and 2.38 ERA as the team's No. 3 hurler.

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Kinnaird, Nearad snap KCC records

Lexi Kinnaird and Taylor Nearad engaged in some good battles against  each other at rival high schools in Eastern Iowa, but they're teammates at Kirkwood Community College now and destroying the record book at one of the top softball programs in the country.

Kinnaird snapped the career record for victories and Nearad broke the career mark for home runs Wednesday as the second-ranked Eagles pounded Southwestern, 20-0, in five innings in the opening round of the regional tournament at Kirkwood.

Kinnaird, a right-hander from Clear Creek Amana, raised her record to 51-5 the past two years by tossing three perfect innings. She broke the old school mark of 50 victories set by Amanda Lambrecht in 2010-11.

Nearad, a center fielder from Solon, cracked the 46th home run of her remarkable career, snapping the old mark of 45 homers set by Kayla Tatge in 2012-13.

"It's awesome," Kirkwood Coach Joe Yegge remarked after seeing two career marks fall in the same game.

Kinnaird and Nearad, both sophomores, competed against each other in high school in the Wamac Conference before moving to Kirkwood last season. Kinnaird prefers having Nearad on her side these days.

"She's always been tough to pitch to. In high school and now," said Kinnaird. "She was always someone I dreaded pitching to."

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