Metro Sports Report

Blackford hurls strong game for Eagles

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Keaton Blackford tossed a complete game for the Kirkwood Eagles Sunday in an 11-1 victory over the Bethany College junior varsity in Winter Haven, Fla.

Blackford, a Linn-Mar grad, allowed only four hits and one earned run. He struck out nine batters and walked one. Blackford spent last season at Ellsworth Community College and transferred to Kirkwood this season.

The Eagles (5-0) scored four runs in the first inning and added six runs in the sixth inning to break it open. Milton Croes and Matt Paciello went 3-for-4. Tyler Butz drove in two runs.

Kohawks take 4th at NCAA wrestling

John Oostendorp learned a few things about sustained excellence during his years as an All-American wrestler for Dan Gable at the University of Iowa.

He's carried those lessons with him to Coe College as their successful head coach the past 13 years.

The Kohawks cannot match the Iowa Hawkeyes in terms of NCAA wrestling titles, but they've performed at a high level under Oostendorp for a long time now.

Coe did it again Saturday night, finishing fourth at the NCAA Division III national tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids, extending an impressive streak that began in 2008.

In six of the last seven years, the Kohawks have finished fifth or better at the NCAA tournament on six occasions. They placed fourth in 2008, fourth in 2009, fourth in 2010, fifth in 2001, third in 2012 and now fourth again.

Timmons makes it fun for Kohawks

Coe softball coach Bob Timmons won his 900th game recently, according to the record books, becoming just the third coach in NCAA Division III history to break 900, but he might describe it a little differently.

“I haven’t won a game coaching. I haven’t swung a bat or thrown a ball,” Timmons said.

After traveling around the country playing fast-pitch softball for 18 years as a young man, a few of Timmons’ former players approached a college about him coaching, unbeknownst to him.

RoughRiders post stunning victory

The 3,395 fans at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena went home buzzing Saturday night.

Team USA went home stunned.

The RoughRiders, facing near-certain defeat, pulled their goaltender late in the game and scored twice in 34 seconds to tie the contest 3-3 and force overtime.

The RoughRiders ultimately prevailed, 4-3, in a Shootout and moved into second place in the Eastern Conference standings with the improbable victory.

Dylan Steman scored for Cedar Rapids in the Shootout and Danny Tirone stopped three straight shots by Team USA for the win.

Andrew Poturalski pulled the RoughRiders within 3-2 when he scored at the 18:45 mark of the third period with Tirone on the bench in favor of an extra skater. Tirone was still on the bench when Corey Petrash scored to make it 3-3 at the 19:19 mark, with just 41 seconds left in regulation.