Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Eagles stay alive at regional tourney

WATERLOO - Ethan Howard pitched a strong game Friday night to help Kirkwood stay alive in the NJCAA regional baseball tournament.

Howard tossed a complete game and allowed only five hits as the 18th-ranked Eagles topped Southwestern, 7-1, in a loser's bracket game at the regional tournament at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo.

Kirkwood (35-19) is scheduled to face DMACC or Southeastern in an elimination game Saturday at 4 p.m.

Kirkwood was scheduled to face Southwestern at 1 p.m. Friday, but the game was delayed until 7:30 p.m. due to rain. The tournament is two games behind schedule and will resume Saturday at 10 a.m.

Brandon Brittain went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs for the Eagles. Jack Fitzgerald was 2-for-3. Bryce Grimm, Matt Paciello and Colin Kreiter collected RBIs for Kirkwood.

Howard (7-3) threw 108 pitchers in the nine-inning game. He allowed one earned run with five strikeouts and one walk.

Kirkwood was upset by Ellsworth, 3-1, in the opening round on Thursday.

Kirkwood baseball stunned in regional

WATERLOO - The 18th-ranked Kirkwood baseball team was stunned by Ellsworth, 3-1, in the opening round of the NJCAA Division II regional tournament at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo Thursday.

The Eagles (34-19) fell into the consolation bracket of the double-elimination tournament and are scheduled to play again Friday at 1 p.m. against NIACC or Southwestern.

Kirkwood swept a four-game series from Ellsworth on March 25-26 in Cedar Rapids and Ellsworth entered the regional tournament with a lowly 12-44 record.

Nick Drahozal (4-5) pitched a strong game for the Eagles on Thursday, but he was nicked for three unearned runs in the fourth inning and that was the difference in the game. Drahozal pitched all nine innings, allowing only three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

Dustin Amos, who began the day with a 2-5 record and 6.94 ERA, handcuffed Kirkwood on Thursday. He pitched a complete game and surrendered only four hits.

Kirkwood wins regional golf title

PANORA - The Kirkwood Eagles captured the Region XI men's golf title Sunday by 24 shots at the Lake Panorama Golf Club in Panora.

The Eagles held a slim two-shot lead after the first round on Saturday, but they scorched the course on Sunday and posted an impressive victory. Kirkwood finished at 602 for a 24-stroke margin over Iowa Lakes.

Carson Whittington and Jordan Even of Kirkwood tied for first place in the individual standings at 6-over-par 150 for 36 holes. Louis Flynn of Kirkwood finished a shot behind his teammates at 151 for third place.

Charlie Hartwig took eighth for Kirkwood at 156.

Flynn and Hartwig fired even-par rounds of 72 on Sunday.

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Kirkwood 602, 2. Iowa Lakes 626, 3. DMACC 628, 4. Iowa Central 641, 5. Northeast 649, 6. Southwestern 660, 7. NIACC 669, 8. Ellsworth 745.

KIRKWOOD RESULTS

1. (tie) Carson Whittington 75-75=150, 1. (tie) Jordan Even 74-76=150, 3. Louis Flynn 79-72=151, 8. (tie) Charlie Hartwig 84-72=156, 21. Eddie Doyle 79-84=163.

Kirkwood golfers lead regional tourney

PANORA - The Kirkwood Eagles took a two-shot lead Saturday after the first round of the regional golf tournament at the Lake Panorama course in Panora.

Kirkwood finished the first 18 holes with a four-man score of 307, good for a two-shot edge over DMACC.

Jordan Even of Kirkwood fired a 2-over-par 74 and is tied for first place in the individual standings. Carson Whittington shot a 75 and stands in third place.

Eddie Doyle and Louis Flynn shot 79's for the Eagles.

The final round is scheduled for Sunday.

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Kirkwood 307, 2. DMACC 309, 3. Northeast 318, 4. Iowa Lakes 320, 5. (tie) Iowa Central 325, Southwestern 325, 7. NIACC 334, 8. Ellsworth 379.

Eagles are No. 3 seed for baseball regional

The Kirkwood Eagles split a doubleheader with Southeastern Saturday and will be the No. 3 seed for the regional baseball tournament in Waterloo next week.

Kirkwood (34-18) will face No. 6 seed Ellsworth (12-44) in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo.

Kirkwood began the weekend in a three-way tie for first place in the ICCAC standings, but the Eagles lost 3-of-4 games against Southeastern to finish in third place.

Southeastern swept Kirkwood on Friday, 10-0 and 10-4, in West Burlington. Kirkwood rebounded with a 6-5 victory in Game 1 of their twinbill Saturday at Kirkwood, but Southeastern posted an 11-3 victory in the nightcap.

NIACC and Southeastern tied for first place in the conference standings with 22-6 records. Kirkwood finished alone in third place at 20-8, followed by Iowa Central (16-12), DMACC (14-14), Ellsworth (8-20), Southwestern (6-22) and Iowa Lakes (4-24).

The regional tournament is scheduled for Thursday through Sunday in Waterloo. A second championship game, if necessary, would be played on Monday, May 16.

Young Eagles soar to national tourney

Maddie "Mad Dog" Hansen has a sore back and other minor ailments from catching all 60 games for the Kirkwood softball team this season, but she's a major reason the fourth-ranked Eagles are heading back to the national tournament.

Hansen enjoyed a special day Friday as the young Eagles spanked Dawson, 10-2 and 15-3, in the NJCAA Division II district tournament at the Kirkwood diamond.

The national tournament is scheduled for May 18-21 in Clinton, Miss.

Hansen went 5-for-6 with two doubles, a pair of two-run homers and eight RBIs as the Eagles won their 32nd straight game and raised their impressive record to 56-4.

Hansen belted a two-run homer in her first at-bat in the first game, then socked another two-run homer in her second at-bat into an Evergreen tree in deep left-center field. She added an RBI single to finish the opener 3-for-3 with two homers and five RBIs.

Hansen collected a sacrifice fly, a double and a two-run double in the nightcap before grounding out to shortstop.

Read more...

Kirkwood softball moved to Friday

The fourth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles will host Dawson Community College in the NJCAA Division II district softball tournament this weekend at Kirkwood.

Kirkwood and Dawson will play two games Friday in the best-of-3 series,  beginning at 2 p.m. If a third game is needed, it will played Saturday at noon at Kirkwood.

The tournament originally was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but was changed to Friday and Saturday due to the possibility of rain on Saturday.

Kirkwood won the Region XI-A title Monday and has a 54-4 record. Dawson, located in Glendive, Mont., won the Region 13 title Monday and has a 31-8 record.

The district champion will advance to the national tournament in Clinton, Miss., on May 18-21.

Kirkwood hosting Dawson in district softball

The fourth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles will host Dawson Community College in the NJCAA Division II district softball tournament this weekend at Kirkwood.

Kirkwood and Dawson will play two games Saturday in the best-of-3 series, beginning at 1 p.m. If a third game is needed, it will played Sunday at 1 p.m. at Kirkwood.

Kirkwood won the Region XI-A title Monday and has a 54-4 record. Dawson, located in Glendive, Mont., won the Region 13 title and has a 31-8 record.

The district champion will advance to the national tournament in Clinton, Miss., on May 18-21.

Simpson puts 'teeth' into No .4 Eagles

Nicky Simpson lost two of her front teeth in a bullpen accident earlier this season, but it hasn't kept the All-American pitcher from enjoying another terrific year with the Kirkwood Eagles.

And make no mistake, the sophomore from Conrad has had plenty to smile about - despite the missing teeth.

Simpson tossed another strong game Monday as the fourth-ranked Eagles belted Iowa Lakes, 14-3, in five innings in the championship game of the NJCAA Division 2 Region XI-A softball tournament at Kirkwood.

Simpson raised her record to a sparkling 27-2 as Kirkwood cruised into the district tournament this weekend at home.

The Eagles (54-4) are riding a 30-game winning streak with their lusty hitting and strong pitching. And if they win the district title, they'll make another trip to the national tournament in Mississippi this month.

Simpson was warming up to pitch the second game of a doubleheader against DMACC on March 26 at Kirkwood when the accident occurred. The first game was still in progress and when she turned her head to check on the action, a return throw from the bullpen catcher struck her square in the mouth.

Read more...