Metro Sports Report

KCRG 9.2 showing IWSL games Sunday

The Iowa Women's Softball League has hit the TV jackpot.

All three games in the IWSL this Sunday will be televised live by KCRG 9.2, with the tripleheader beginning at noon on Busse Field at Mount Mercy University.

Local sportscaster Bob Bruce and former Linn-Mar softball coach Jon Harms will be calling the action.

The first game will feature Emil's Hideaway against Hawkeye Convenience Stores. The second game, scheduled for 1:45 p.m., pits Emil's Hideaway against Ironside Apparel. And the third game, scheduled for 3:30, matches Hawkeye Convenience Stores against Ironside Apparel.

"We greatly appreciate the good folks at 9.2 for putting us on their schedule again this year," said Jim Ecker, the director of the Iowa Women's Softball League. "This will be great exposure for college softball and a big boost for the league. I know the girls will love it."

Pitching carries Walford to sweep

WALFORD - Fans of well-pitched, low-scoring baseball games saw a pair of gems on Sunday in the Iowa Valley League twinbill between Walford and Red Top.

And when the dust settled on a steamy day at the Walford Ball Diamond, the host Hogs came away with a sweep in what is becoming a battle between all six league teams for the championship.

The sweep lifted the Hogs to 4-4 through four weeks of IVL play while Red Top fell to 3-5.

In the opener, Ross Swinton and Mitch Moser combined on a two-hitter as Walford escaped with a 1-0 victory.

The nightcap saw Moser start and go five innings. He was relieved in the final two innings by former Linn-Mar standout Manny Jeffery as the Hogs got a pair of unearned runs in the fifth inning to post a 3-1 triumph.

"We were kind of low on pitching today," said Moser, who got the save in the opener and the win in Game 2. "Swinton threw five strong innings and then I came in and closed it out.

IWSL softball teams beat the heat

The five teams in the Iowa Women's Softball League battled each other and battled the heat Sunday with some interesting results.

Three of the five games were shortened to five innings with the temperature in the mid-90's and another game ended in a scoreless tie.

Ironside Apparel and Hawkeye Convenience Stores battled to a 0-0  deadlock in the first game at Mount Mercy, with both sides flashing  some stellar pitching and defense.

Hawkeye Convenience Stores blanked Emil's Hideaway, 8-0, in the middle game. And Emil's Hideaway turned around and topped Ironside Apparel,  7-1.

Metro Sports Report swept its doubleheader from Bosch Financial, 2-1  and 12-6, at Simpson College in Indianola.

3-way logjam in IVL standings

Williamsburg, Norway and the Stars are all tied for first place in the Iowa Valley League with 5-3 records after four weeks of the 2018 regular season.

Walford is just another game back at 4-4, followed by Red Top at 3-5 and Watkins at 2-6 in the compact standings.

The Stars swept Watkins on Sunday. Walford swept Red Top, while Norway and Williamsburg split their twinbill.