The Kirkwood Eagles have such a good-hitting team that Lexi Quandt hit ninth in the batting order Monday in the regional finals with a .347 average.

On most teams, she'd hit in the middle of the order.

Five Eagles were hitting above .400. Chasney Jenkins was well over .500. As a team, the club was hitting .410 when the day began. They lead the nation with 109 home runs (a school record) and are averaging more than 10 runs per game.

"We were saying in the dugout before the game that we would hate to be on any other team besides Kirkwood," said third baseman Alicia Crivaro. "This is the best junior college in the conference and I can't imagine playing for another team, just because of our competitiveness.

"I would be scared if I were on the other team," she said.

The eighth-ranked Eagles left Southwestern quaking in their spikes, 17-3, in the lopsided championship game of the regional tournament at Kirkwood Monday.

Kirkwood (43-8) will host North Platte (Neb.) in the district playoffs this Friday at 2 p.m. in a best 2-of-3 series, with the winner advancing to the national tournament.

"We're clicking," said Coach Joe Yegge. "We just have to stay hungry."

Lexie Biehl belted two home runs and drove in six runs Monday, giving her 25 homers and 79 RBIs. Crivaro socked her 12th home run, a three-run blast in the fourth inning.

The Eagles are so good that Natalie Clark, an All-American last year, began Monday's game on the bench. She contributed to the onslaught with a two-run homer as a pinch-hitter.

Thirteen different Eagles have walloped a home run this year. Biehl ranks second in the country with her 25.

"It's just nice that every one of them can do it," said Yegge. "It's pretty awesome to see the power we have this year. And I didn't think we had any."

Jenkins led off Monday with a .538 batting average. She was followed by Biehl (.449), Brooke Prior (.493), Jasmine Ragusi (.455), Tara Walls (.401), Crivaro (.370), Erin Weno (.370), Riley Ogden (.350) and Quandt (.347).

Prior has 18 homers. Crivaro has 12 now. Jenkins and Ragusi have connected nine times. Clark has seven homers and she's only a part-time starter now. Walls has six homers. Quandt, Ogden and Weno have five.

Pick your poison.

Want some speed? Jenkins is 64-for-64 in stolen bases, a school record and second in the nation.

It's been a special team and now the Eagles are two victories away from making the national tournament.

"It's been a blast," said Ragusi, a strong catcher who is batting fourth in the lineup as a freshman. "I love these girls. It's a family. I don't want to see it end."

Nicky Simpson (18-5) got the victory Monday. She and Prior (13-0) have ERAs under 2.00, giving Kirkwood a solid 1-2 punch in the circle to complement their fabulous hitting and excellent defense.