Metro Sports Report

Coe softball team nipped by Luther

The Coe College softball team will have to win three straight games at Clark Field Sunday to capture the Iowa Conference Tournament, but there's a nice prize waiting for them even if they don't.

The ninth-ranked Kohawks have a 34-7 overall record and are considered a lock for an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III national tournament even if they do not get the league's automatic berth as the tournament champion.

Alise Miller broke up a pitcher's duel in the top of the eighth inning Saturday afternoon with a two-run homer to give 11th-ranked Luther a 2-0 victory over Coe in the winners bracket finals.

Arran Weeces of Coe and Becca Girvan of Luther matched goose-eggs for the first seven innings Saturday, sending the contest into extra innings.

KCC splits with Southeastern again

The Kirkwood baseball team split a doubleheader with Southeastern Community College Saturday for the second straight day.

The Eagles walloped SCC, 11-2, in the first game. Southeastern returned the favor in the nightcap, 12-1.

Jamison Steege pitched a complete game for Kirkwood in the opener. He allowed only four hits and one earned run with five strikeouts.

Sulliam Rios Reyes went 4-for-4 for the Eagles in the first game. Matt Paciello went 3-for-4. Eric Schenck-Joblinske and Angel Merced were 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Milton Croes drove in two runs.

Kirkwood collected only three hits in the second game.

The split left the Eagles at 29-16 overall and 13-11 in the conference. Southeastern is 36-18 overall and 19-7 in the league.

Kernels pounded by Peoria, 12-3

It’s never a good sign when your baseball team’s run production is matched by a single opposing player, but that’s exactly the kind of night the Cedar Rapids Kernels had Friday.

The game started badly for the Kernels, then got worse before it turned outright ugly, all leading to a 12-3 drubbing at the hands of the Peoria Chiefs.

Chiefs left fielder Kenny Peoples-Wall singlehandedly matched the Kernels' run total, scoring three runs by himself, but he was far from the only Peoria hitter to cross the plate.

Peoria scored once in the first inning, once in the second, three times in the third and sent a whopping seven runners across the plate in the visitor's half of the fourth inning

J-Hawks sprinting to a better place

Nate Karlan says there is a noticeable difference in the boys athletic program at Cedar Rapids Jefferson these days.

There's more pride in the school, a better attitude in practice, an improved work ethic in the weight room.

It's showing this year on the boys track team with a good crop of sprinters, who are not taking a back seat to anyone now.

The J-Hawks placed second in the 4x200 relay at the Drake Relays last weekand they had another strong performance at the 28th Annual Wilkinson Relays Friday at Kingston Stadium.

Karlan captured the 200 meter dash in a swift 22.26 seconds. The J-Hawks also claimed the 4x200 relay and won the 4x400 relay.