Metro Sports Report

Goods was great story for Kirkwood

Simone Goods admits she was scared.

She played basketball at Western Kentucky last season as a freshman, but did not feel comfortable there and transferred to Kirkwood this season for the next step in her career.

All of a sudden, she went from an NCAA Division I basketball program with all expenses paid to a junior college. It helped that Deleyah Harris, one of her best friends from Omaha, was already playing at  Kirkwood, but there were some anxious moments.

"I was definitely scared," Goods said Saturday night, "but I just had a lot of support."

That support came from her family, her new teammates and from Kirkwood Coach Kim Muhl and his entire staff.

"Coach Muhl always talks to me about how I've blossomed," she said, "because when I first got here he always tells me I was like a sad little dog."

Goods laughed when she made that last remark, because it came shortly after the 6-foot-2 center helped the Eagles win the NJCAA Division II  national title in Arkansas Saturday night.

Goods had a big double-double in the championship game with 19 points and 17 rebounds against Johnson County, despite being double-teamed  most of the night. She was named the MVP of the national tournament, adding to her collection as the league MVP and regional MVP this season.

Goods averaged 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds this season and likely will be named a first team All-American when the postseason honors are announced. Keep in mind, she compiled those numbers despite playing only 21.7 minutes per game on a team that won all 37 of its games by more than 30 points per contest.

Goods shot 67.5 percent from the field, a mark that led the nation, and also displayed a fine touch at the foul line, hitting 76 percent  of her free throws.

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.

KCC baseball team pounds Ellsworth

IOWA FALLS - The Kirkwood baseball team flexed its muscles Monday and belted Ellsworth, 16-1 and 9-0, in an ICCAC conference doubleheader in Iowa Falls.

The Eagles raised their records to 16-7 overall and 2-0 in the league in their conference openers.

Korry Howell drove in four runs in the 16-1 onslaught in the opener, which lasted only five innings due to the mercy rule. Kirkwood scored seven runs in the first inning and added seven more runs in the fourth.

Colin Kreiter collected three RBIs in the first game. Ellison Hanna, Tyler Bordner and Toran Shahidi had two RBIs. Shahidi had two hits and scored three times. Cal Clark also had two hits.

Austin Miller pitched four strong innings for the victory in Game 1. He allowed three hits and one unearned run, with five strikeouts and two walks.

Kreiter went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs in the 9-0 victory in the nightcap. Hanna went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs. Howell, Bordner, Shahidi and Clark had two hits.

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.