Kirkwood Softball

Nearad socks 3 homers as Eagles sweep

MADISON, Wis. - Taylor Nearad belted three home runs and drove in  seven runs Friday as the second-ranked Kirkwood softball team swept a doubleheader from Madison College, 12-0 and 9-0.

Nearad, the 2016 National Player of the Year, hit two home runs and  drove in five runs in the first game. Maddie Hansen also hit a home run and went 3-for-4 in the opener.

Lexi Ferrari went 3-for-3 and scored three runs in the opener. Audra Bridenstine drove in three runs. DoniRae Mayhew, Monika Bevans and Bridenstine had two hits.

Lexi Kinnaird (12-1, 1.45 ERA) pitched a two-hitter with seven strikeouts in the first game. She leads NJCAA Division II with 122 strikeouts in 77 innings.

Angie McBeain belted a grand slam in the 9-0 victory in the second game. Ferrari, Nearad, Mayhew, Morgan Frost and Bridenstine all had two hits. Nearad hit a homer and drove in two runs. Frost also had two  RBIs.

McBeain (9-0, 1.94 ERA) tossed a four-hitter with five strikeouts.

Kirkwood raised its record to 24-1 heading into weekend doubleheaders at NIACC Saturday and at Iowa Lakes Sunday.

GAME 1

Kirkwood    100 506 - 12 16 0
Madison     000 000 - 0 2 0

GAME 2

Kirkwood    530 01 - 9 11 0
Madison     000 00 - 0 4 2

No. 2 Eagles sock 6 more homers in sweep

The second-ranked Kirkwood softball team walloped six more home runs Monday and swept Ellsworth, 7-1 and 19-0, in an ICCAC conference doubleheader at the Kirkwood field.

Lexi Ferrari hit two homers, giving her five home runs in two days. Maddie Hansen, Angie McBeain, Megan Kublik and DoniRae Mayhew also knocked the ball over the fence.

Ferrari is batting .513 with eight homers and 43 RBIs. Hansen is hitting .518 with six homers and 42 RBIs. Mayhew has eight home runs this season and McBeain has six. Kublik socked her first round-tripper of the year.

The Eagles belted eight home runs on Sunday when they swept Iowa Central, giving them 14 homers in two days.

Lexi Kinnaird (11-1, 1.58 ERA) tossed a two-hitter in the 7-1 victory with 12 strikeouts and no walks. The sophomore right-hander has now collected 115 strikeouts in 71 innings, with only five walks.

McBeain (8-0, 1.94 ERA) pitched a one-hitter in the 19-0 triumph, with five strikeouts and no walks.

Read more...

No. 2 Eagles belt 8 homers in sweep

The Kirkwood Eagles did the long ball.

The second-ranked Kirkwood softball team belted eight home runs Sunday  and swept an ICCAC conference doubleheader from 17th-ranked Iowa  Central, 13-3 and 11-6, at Kirkwood.

Lexi Ferrari and Maddie Hansen shared top billing for the Eagles in their home opener and conference opener.

Ferrari went 6-for-6 with two doubles, three home runs, seven RBIs and  six runs scored. Hansen was 6-for-6 with two doubles, two homers and eight RBIs on a gray day with the temperature straining to reach 50  degrees.

DoniRae Mayhew socked two homers for the Eagles, including a walk-off grand slam in the sixth inning of the opener, and Chaise Light hit a  solo shot in the first game.

Kirkwood raised its records to 20-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference with the twin-killing.

The Eagles have collected 35 home runs in 21 games, on pace once again for 100 homers this season. Mayhew leads the club with seven home runs, Ferrari has six and Hansen five.

Read more...

KCC's Kinnaird wins national softball award

Kirkwood sophomore Lexi Kinnaird has been named the NJCAA Division II National Pitcher of the Week for her performances in games that were  played from March 13-19.

Kinnaird went 2-0 in her two outings for the Eagles and did not allow any runs in 12 innings. She struck out 26 batters, walked only two and allowed just two hits.

Kinnaird has a 9-1 record and 1.45 ERA for second-ranked Kirkwood this season. She has fanned 97 batters in 58 innings, with only four walks.

Kirkwood's scheduled doubleheader at Spoon River (Mo.) on Wednesday was called off due to inclement weather.