Kirkwood Baseball

Grimm is no fairy tale for Eagles

Bryce Grimm has gone from being a part-time starter for the Kirkwood baseball team at the beginning of his freshman year in 2015 to one of the stars of the team this season as a sophomore.

Next year, the Xavier High School grad could be patrolling center field for an NCAA Division I ballclub at a four-year school.

Grimm continued to build on his solid campaign Tuesday as the Eagles split a non-conference doubleheader against Black Hawk College, winning the first game 11-9 and dropping the nightcap 10-2.

Grimm went 3-for-5 in the twin-bill with a home run, two walks and four runs, raising his batting average to .425 with two homers and 19 RBIs. He leads Kirkwood in hits, runs scored and batting average and ranks second in RBIs.

"Bryce Grimm has come so far," Kirkwood Coach Todd Rima said. "He wasn't playing every day (at the beginning of last year), but all he did was work. Now he's hitting with more power and driving in runs.

"He's as good a center-fielder as anybody in our league and in the midwest, I think. He's a Division I baseball player. There's no question in our mind that he can play at that level. We're going to find him a spot, because he's a great player.

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Healthy Butz delivers for Kirkwood

Tyler Butz was playing catch before the first game of the season for the Kirkwood Eagles last year in Kansas when he felt a sharp pain in his right elbow.

He played anyway that day and appeared in a few games after that on Kirkwood's spring trip to Florida, but an MRI revealed that he'd torn the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his elbow and needed surgery.

Butz, a Cedar Rapids Prairie grad, was granted a medical red-shirt for the 2015 campaign and returned this season as a third-year sophomore to try and resurrect his baseball career.

Butz and the Eagles are sure glad he did.

Butz delivered a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday to give Kirkwood a 4-3 victory over Ellsworth in the first game of an ICCAC conference double-header at the Kirkwood field.

The Eagles won the second game, 7-3, in the conference opener.

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Kirkwood sweeps Lewis & Clark

ALTON, Ill. - Kirkwood's Tyler Bordner smacked three home runs, driving home six runs, as the Eagles completed a sweep of Lewis & Clark Community College, 18-6, on Sunday.

General McArthur pounded out a pair of solo homers as the Eagles rallied with two runs in the top of the seventh to win the opener 6-5.

Bryce Grimm had two hits and drove home five in the nightcap. Colin Kreiter had two hits, including a home run and Matt Paciello also had a pair of hits.

Austin Clemens pitched 4 1/3 innings to get the win, giving up eight hits and three earned runs, striking out two and walking two.

Grimm also homered for Kirkwood (4-4) in the opener. Luke Hassman had a homer and three RBI in the game. Jake Faur pitched 2/3 of an inning to get the win, Dariel Checo retired the hosts in order in the seventh to gain the save.

Game 1

Kirkwood 012 010 2 - 6 8 1
Lewis & Clark 023 000 0 - 5 6 1

WP - Checo. LP - Deford. HR: McArthur (2), Grimm, Hassmann

Game 2

Kirkwood 002 522 7 - 18 14 2
Lewis & Clark 050 010 0 - 6 10 5

WP - Clemens. LP - Lee. HR: Bordner (3), Kreiter

Kirkwood baseball team sweeps twinbill

ALTON, Ill. - The Kirkwood baseball team swept a doubleheader from Lewis & Clark, 10-4 and 9-1, Saturday in a junior college twinbill in Alton, Ill.

Matt Paciello went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for the Eagles in the first game. Luke Hassman was 2-for-4 and scored twice. Joey Verstegen went 2-for-2.

Ethan Howard pitched 4.1 innings in the opener for the victory. He allowed three runs on seven hits, but only one of the runs was earned. He struck out six batters and walked one.

Nick Drahozal pitched five strong innings for Kirkwood in the nightcap. He allowed one unearned run on one hit, with five strikeouts and five walks.

Jack Fitzgerald went 3-for-4 and scored two runs in the nightcap. 
Paciello, Brandon Brittain and Hassman had two hits. Hassman drove in three runs and Bryce Grimm had two RBIs.

Kirkwood (2-4) is scheduled to play another twinbill against Lewis & Clark on Sunday.