Metro Sports Report

River Bandits edge Kernels, 6-5

The Quad Cities River Bandits started the season hot and have gotten hotter from there, improving their record to 29-8 Sunday with a 6-5 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Kernels did their best to slow down the Bandits’ momentum, but fell just short, before a crowd of 1,610, Quad Cities won 2-of-3 in the series, building their Western Division lead over the Kernels to 6 1/2 games.

The Bandits have lost only one series all season, dropping two of three games to Burlington Bees in late April.

Sunday's game was a see-saw affair, with the River Bandits jumping up 1-0 in the top of the third inning and the Kernels moving ahead 2-1 in their half of the same inning.

Ex-Eagle Ashton to play at ISU

Former Kirkwood guard Jordan Ashton committed Sunday to play at Iowa State as a preferred walk-on.

An all-state performer at Mount Pleasant High School, the 6-foot-4 Ashton averaged 16.4 points a game this past season for the Eagles. He was named an NJCAA all-American after helping Kirkwood to a 25-7 record.

Playing for former Cyclone guard Bryan Petesen, Ashton, who will have two years of eligibility at Iowa State, shot 46.4 percent from the field, including 43.4 percent from the 3-point line.

Kernels top Bandits in 13 innings

Trey Vavra gets a little emotional when he talks about his older brother Tanner, who is playing pro baseball in the Florida State League this season despite being blind in his right eye.

Tanner Vavra played for the Cedar Rapids Kernels last year and now Trey has become the leading hitter for the Kernels this season with a lusty .350 average, good for second best in the Midwest League.

Vavra had four hits for the Kernels Saturday night in a 4-3 victory in 13 innings over the Quad Cities River Bandits before 3,070 fans on Fireworks Night at the ballpark.

Max Murphy led off the 13th with a double down the third-base line and scored on a game-winning single to right field by T.J. White.

Vavra nearly won the game for the Kernels with a long blast to left-center in the 12th inning, but the ball was caught on the warning track.

Kohawks face La Crosse again for title

LA CROSSE, Wis. - The Coe College baseball team smashed Wisconsin-La Crosse, 11-5, in the winner's bracket finals of the NCAA Division III regional baseball tournament Friday night.

If the Kohawks (34-12) beat La Crosse (31-13) again Sunday, they'll make the College World Series for the first time in school history.

Wisconsin-La Crosse defeated Concordia, 10-3, in the loser's bracket final Saturday and will need two victories against Coe Sunday to win the Midwest regional title. The Kohawks need only one victory for the crown as the winner's bracket champion.