Kirkwood Softball

KCC softball seeded No. 2 for nationals

CLINTON, Miss. - The Kirkwood Eagles have drawn the No. 2 seed for the NJCAA Division II national softball tournament that will be played in Mississippi this week.

Kirkwood (56-4) will face No. 15 seed Illinois Valley (26-11) in the opening round of the 16-team tournament on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. (Central time). The tournament will continue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Phoenix College (53-6) drew the No. 1 seed.

FIRST ROUND

No. 1 Phoenix (53-6) vs No. 16 Potomac State (32-7)
No. 8 Illinois Central (28-14) vs No. 9 Labette (26-23)
No. 5 DMACC (50-6) vs No. 12 Florence Darlington (30-10)
No. 13 Mott (43-6) vs No. 4 LSU Eunice (53-7)
No. 3 Jones County (45-6) vs No. 14 Heartland (36-20)
No. 6 Kankakee (49-8) vs No. 11 Mercyhurst North East (36-16)
No. 7 Highland (42-10) vs No. 10 Lansing (39-17)
No. 15 Illinois Valley (26-11) vs No. 2 Kirkwood (56-4)

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.

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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.

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.

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