ENID, Okla. - The Kirkwood Eagles' defense let them down at the national tournament on Saturday.

Kirkwood committed seven errors and lost to Madison Area Technical  College, 18-9, in the opening round of the NJCAA Division II World  Series at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Okla.

The game was stopped after eight innings due to the college mercy rule.

Kirkwood got off to a fast start and led, 9-1, after three innings,  but the rest of the game was a disaster for the Eagles. Madison  drubbed the Eagles, 17-0, during the next five innings when Kirkwood  committed all seven of its errors.

Kirkwood (42-16-1) will face Scottsdale (29-31) in a losers bracket game on Sunday at 10 a.m. in an effort to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament.

The Eagles used three of their top starting pitchers on Saturday with  Peyton Long throwing four innings, Adam Ketelsen lasting only one  inning and Cameron Leff throwing two innings. That will make it harder  for the Eagles to bounce back in the losers bracket with Long,  Ketelsen and Leff having already seen action.

Kirkwood is making its first trip to the World Series in 19 years. For  three innings, it looked like the Eagles would sail into the second  round in the winners bracket.

Spencer Wiskus had a two-run single and Chili Moseley followed with a  two-run double as the Eagles scored five runs in the bottom of the  first inning for a 5-1 lead.

Izaya Fullard had an RBI single in the second inning to make it 6-1,  and the Eagles scored three more times in the third inning for a 9-1  advantage on a two-run triple by Cal Clark and an RBI single by Korry  Howell.

Madison (35-20) scored twice in the top of the fourth to make it 9-3,  but then Kirkwood stopped hitting and began kicking the ball all  around the ballpark.

The Eagles committed four errors in the fifth inning to help Madison  score five runs and pull within 9-8 and the tide had turned. Suddenly,  all the momentum was in the visitor's dugout.

Madison scored four runs in the top of the sixth for a 12-9 lead, with  the big blow a three-run homer by Nick Gile off Ketelsen.

Madison scored three more times in the seventh inning and tacked on  three more runs in the eighth to make it 18-9, and when the Eagles  failed to score in the bottom of the eighth the game was called due to  the eight-run mercy rule.

Ketelsen, who sparkled in relief in the regional and district  tournaments, was charged with five runs (four earned) in one inning  and was saddled with the loss.

Howell, Taylor Jackson and Moseley had three hits for Kirkwood.  Fullard and Wiskus had two hits. Wiskus, Moseley and Clark had two RBIs.

Madison catcher Logan Michaels went 6-for-6 with a double, home run,  four RBIs and four runs. Gile, their second baseman, was 4-for-6 with  five RBIs.

Wiskus, the Kirkwood first baseman, committed three errors. Clark, the  second baseman, had two errors. Ellison Hanna, the left fielder, and  Ross Kramer, the right fielder, also committed errors.

Kirkwood is the No. 3 seed in the 10-team tournament and Madison is  the No. 6 seed. Madison did not make any errors.

Madison      100 254 33 - 18 19 0
Kirkwood     513 000 00 - 9 15 7

W - Hamilton. L - Ketelsen.