Metro Sports Report

Lions, Hawks trade 1-run victories

The Linn-Mar Lions and Prairie Hawks swapped a pair of one-run victories Thursday night in a Mississippi Valley Conference softball twinbill at Prairie.

Linn-Mar won the first game, 5-4. Prairie took the nightcap, 3-2.

The split left the Lions at 12-5 overall and 9-3 in the MVC. The Hawks are 14-7 overall and 10-4 in the league.

Maddy Ryan collected her 10th victory of the season for Linn-Mar in the first game. Elison Ollinger was 2-for-3 with a triple.

Neila Bell went 2-for-3 for Prairie in the opener. Gabi Carter had two RBIs.

Taylor Moenk went 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs for Prairie in the second game. Anne Cerveny was 2-for-3 for the Hawks.

Natalie Halvorson got the victory in relief for Prairie in the nightcap. She was the losing pitcher in the opener.

Dighton helps J-Hawks slam Hempstead

Kennedy Dighton belted a walk-off grand slam homer in the bottom of the sixth inning Thursday night as Jefferson blanked Dubuque Hempstead, 10-0, in the first game of a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader at Jefferson.

The sixth-ranked J-Hawks captured the second game, 13-1, in four innings.

The sweep lifted Jefferson to 15-5 overall and 11-3 in the MVC.

Dighton went 2-for-5 with her grand slam and five RBIs in the first game. Lindsey Culver and Avery Guy also swatted home runs for the J-Hawks. Maddie Hansen went 2-for-3. Alyssa Olson got the victory with six strikeouts.

Dighton went 2-for-3 with another home run and three RBIs in the 13-1 victory. Hansen was 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Liv Erickson also went 3-for-3. Taylor Holub was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Tori Brandon and Culver were 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Alissa Good picked up the victory in Game 2.

Hempstead fell to 6-9 for the season.

Kirkwood women find new homes for hoops

The Kirkwood slogan of "Start Here, Go Anywhere" has turned out to be literally true for all nine sophomores who helped the women's basketball team finish fifth at the national tournament this year with a sparkling 31-6 record.

The nine Eagles plan to continue their basketball careers at four-year colleges in Mississippi, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri.

"All of them got new homes," Kirkwood Coach Kim Muhl said Tuesday morning at his office in Johnson Hall.

Ariel Sneed is heading to Southern Mississippi. Peyton Bockholt is enrolling at Limestone in South Carolina. Tyra Polite is returning home to Pennsylvania to play at Clarion. Kirsten Larson and Anna Martensen are both going to Wayne State in Nebraska.

Navarreto is big catch for Kernels

One of the top Major League prospects on the Cedar Rapids Kernels is hitting just .180 for the season, but Brian Navarreto has superior skills for a young catcher.

Kernels Manager Jake Mauer predicted Monday that Navarreto will play for the Minnesota Twins some day.

"He'll catch in the big leagues," Mauer said without hesitation. "His bat will determine how long he's going to be there."