Metro Sports Report

Saints drop thriller to Lions

The Xavier boys soccer team was short-handed Tuesday night with two of its top players unable to play against Linn-Mar, but there was nothing short-handed about their spirit and determination.

The Saints fell to the Lions, 2-1, in a marathon PK shootout that took nine players to decide at Linn-Mar Stadium.

Xavier is ranked No. 2 in Class 2A and Linn-Mar is ranked No. 16 in Class 3A, but there wasn't much difference between the two Mississippi Valley Conference powers on a drizzly night in Marion.

Thomas Bean, who leads the Saints in scoring, had to serve a one-game suspension after receiving a red card in Xavier's last match against Cedar Rapids Washington when he said something to a friend on the Washington team that apparently was misinterpreted by an official.

Will Hannigan, the No. 3 scorer for the Saints, missed the match with an injury suffered last week against Iowa City West, taking another top player off the field.

The Saints simply shuffled a few players around and came within a whisker of winning the match.

"We stretched as much as we could in the game," said Xaiver Coach Amir Hadzic. "We had as many open looks as Linn-Mar had. Too bad those  shots - Luke's particularly - didn't go in. That's a hard deal."

Kinnaird, McBeain shine for No. 2 Eagles

Angie McBeain is technically the No. 2 pitcher for the Kirkwood softball team, but that's more of a designation than a true ranking.

The truth is, the second-ranked Eagles have two star pitchers.

Lexi Kinnaird, a sophomore and one of the most successful pitchers in school history, pitches the first game of Kirkwood doubleheaders and thus is listed as the No. 1 pitcher.

McBeain, a freshman and a rising star, normally pitches the second game of doubleheaders and thus is the No. 2 pitcher, but only because she has to wait her turn.

Kinnaird, who leads the nation in victories and strikeouts, has a 20-2 record and 1.27 earned run average, with 204 strikeouts and only nine walks in 132 innings.

McBeain, who has never lost a game in college, is 16-0 with a 1.48 ERA, with 93 strikeouts and only 20 walks in 80 1/3 innings.

The dynamic duo worked their magic again Monday.

Kinnaird tossed a four-hit shutout as the Eagles blanked 16th-ranked Iowa Lakes, 7-0, in the first game of their twinbill at the Kirkwood field.

McBeain, who pitched a perfect game in her last outing, tossed a one-hitter this time as the Eagles won the nightcap, 12-0, in five innings.

3 Eagles named NJCAA All-Americans

Simone Goods and Deleyah Harris are both from Omaha, they both helped Kirkwood win the national this season and now both sophomores are  NJCAA Division II All-Americans.

Miles Wentzien, who starred for the Kirkwood men's basketball team, also has been named an All-American.

It should come as no surprise that Goods was selected as a first team All-American. She averaged 16.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks as the Eagles won all 37 of their games en route to the national crown. She also led the nation in shooting percentage, hitting 67.9 percent  of her attempts.

Harris earned second team All-American honors this season. She averaged 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a do-it-all player who scored from all spots on the floor.

McBeain tosses perfect game for Eagles

Kirkwood freshman Angie McBeain enjoyed a perfectly splendid afternoon on Thursday.

McBeain tossed a perfect game as Kirkwood dumped Northeast Community College of Nebraska, 14-0, in the second game of a conference  doubleheader at the Kirkwood field.

The second-ranked Eagles won the first game, 6-0, on a tidy three-hitter by Lexi Kinnaird.

McBeain faced 15 batters in the five-inning game in the nightcap and retired every one of them. She struck out five batters and needed only  46 pitches in the ballgame.

McBeain, who is from Prior Lake, Minn., finished the day with a perfect 15-0 record and 1.58 earned run average. She also went 3-for-6 in the twinbill with three doubles and four RBIs.

Kinnaird, who leads all NJCAA Division II pitchers in victories and strikeouts, sports a 19-2 record and 1.34 ERA, with 193 strikeouts and only seven walks in 125 innings. She fanned nine batters Thursday with no bases on balls.

Maddie Hansen, who caught McBeain's perfect game, also had a perfect day for the Eagles. She went 7-for-7 in the doubleheader with four RBIs.