Metro Sports Report

MSR covering Mount Mercy sports again

The Metro Sports Report is delighted to announce that we will be covering Mount Mercy University during the 2018-19 school year and hopefully for many more years to come.

The Metro Sports Report provided extensive coverage of the Mustangs from 2014 through 2016, but we had to curtail our operation due to financial constraints. That is no longer the case.

"The Metro Sports Report has bounced back nicely the past few years and is expanding its operation again," said Jim Ecker, the president and owner of the website company. "We greatly enjoyed covering Mount Mercy the first time around and we're looking forward to covering the Mustangs again."

The new coverage will begin next week with the beginning of fall sports and will continue throughout the school year. Mount Mercy offers a total of 18 varsity sports and is recognized as one of the top NAIA schools in the Midwest and around the country.

The eight men's sports are baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, track and volleyball. The eight women's sports are basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and volleyball. Mount Mercy also offers two coed sports with competitive cheer and competitive dance.

24 players have joined IWSL for 2019

Twenty-four players have already registered for the Iowa Women's Softball League for next summer.

The current early registration period is for all players who  participated in the IWSL this season. If they register by Aug. 31,  they will receive a 50 percent discount and pay $50 instead of the  regular $100 player fee.

Anyone who registers between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31 will get a 25 percent  discount and pay $75. And anyone who registers between Jan. 1 and  April 30 will be charged the full $100.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The goal is to have eight teams and 120 players for Year 3 in 2019, with four teams in the Central Division and four teams in the Eastern  Division. There were five teams and 80 players in the league this year.

It's best to register as soon as possible to reserve a spot. Anyone who registers and is unable to play will receive a full refund, with  no questions asked.

Red Top ousts Stars from state tourney

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - Red Top and the Stars never expected to face each other in an elimination game on the first weekend of the IABA state tournament, but that's exactly what happened here Sunday.

The contest matched Red Top, which won the 2016 state title, against the Stars, who captured the 2017 state crown in a battle to see who would stay alive in the two-week tourney.

As it turned out, it wasn't much of a battle at all.

Red Top defeated the Stars, 9-1, at Douglas Park in Rock Island, Ill.,  to keep their championship hopes alive and prevent the Stars from successfully defending their title.

Darren Kilpatrick allowed one run on only hit in six innings for the Toppers, who got a base hit from every batter in their lineup.

"The guys were locked in today," said Red Top Manager Adam Sadler. "We haven't hit the ball consistently all year, up and down the lineup, but we did today. It was fun."

Kammin, Red Sox roll in IABA tourney

WATKINS - Zach Kammin has added some extra sizzle to his fastball since having Tommy John surgery in May of 2017.

As it turned out, he was much too fast for the Muscatine Flames in the 2018 IABA state tournament on Saturday.

Kammin fanned eight batters and pitched a no-hitter for 5 1/3 innings as the Williamsburg Red Sox doused the Flames, 7-0, in the second round of the tournament in Watkins.

The Red Sox also blanked the Calmar Cats, 10-0, in the opening round Saturday and earned a bye into the second week of the state tournament next weekend in Norway.

Williamsburg General Manager Lloyd Brockshus took Kammin out of the game with one out in the sixth inning to protect Kammin's talented right arm after he had thrown about 60 pitches.

You don't usually yank a pitcher when he's tossing a no-hitter, but the Red Sox have been nursing Kammin all season and Brockshus did not want to risk a physical setback with a 7-0 cushion.