Metro Sports Report

Kernels finish sweep of Wisconsin

APPLETON, Wis. - The Cedar Rapids Kernels finished a three-game sweep of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Wednesday night an 8-2 victory in a Midwest League game before 2,235 fans at Fox Cities Stadium.

Max Murphy went 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs as the Kernels raised their record to 16-11. Trey Vavra also went 3-for-5 for Cedar Rapids. Murphy, Vavra and Nick Gordon scored two runs and T.J. White had two RBIs.

John Curtiss (2-2) gave the Kernels a quality start, allowing just two earned runs in six innings. He struck out eight batters and did not walk anyone.

Sprinkel picked for NCAA tennis tourney

Coe College senior Noah Sprinkel has been selected to play in the NCAA Division III national tennis tournament for the third straight year.

Sprinkel will join a select field of 32 players for the national tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, on May 21-23.

Sprinkel, from Minneapolis, lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year.

Sprinkel and the Kohawks are competing in the NCAA regional team tournament in Whitewater, Wis., this weekend.

17 Metro grads have played in NFL

David Parry has an opportunity to join some pretty select company as he goes to camp with the Indianapolis Colts.

Parry, a former Linn-Mar standout who was taken in the fifth round in last weekend’s NFL draft, could become the eighth Metro area product to play in the NFL in the last 25 years. Since the NFL got its start in 1920, the Metro has had 17 players see time in the league.

Parry was lightly recruited out of Linn-Mar and chose Stanford over Iowa as a walk-on. He ended up as a productive defensive lineman for the Cardinal, playing in two Rose Bowls and two other bowl games during his career.

The Colts traded up to snag Parry, whom the team believes can become a factor in its 3-4 defensive scheme.

Coe, Dubuque penalized for bench-clearing event

Members of the Coe College and University of Dubuque baseball programs have been penalized for their roles in a bench-clearing incident that took place during an Iowa Conference doubleheader April 26 in Dubuque.

Dubuque assistant coach Eric Munson, who played nine years in the Major Leagues, was suspended for four games for shoving Coe head coach Steve Cook. Coe freshman Tom Simon was suspended for four games for shoving a Dubuque player.