Kirkwood sophomore Lexi Kinnaird has mowed down batters the last two years as one of the top junior college pitchers in the country.
Now she shares a special record.
Kinnaird tied the school mark with her 50th victory Tuesday when the second-ranked Eagles trimmed Indian Hills, 3-2, in a non-conference game at the Kirkwood field.
Indian Hills won the second game, 5-4, and Kinnaird was saddled with the loss in relief.
Kinnaird has compiled a 50-5 record for Kirkwood, matching the school mark for victories set by Amanda Lambrecht, who went 50-4 for the Eagles as their star pitcher in 2010 and 2011.
Kinnaird will get a chance to break the record when she pitches in the regional tournament Friday at Kirkwood.
Kinnaird has been remarkably consistent for the Eagles the past two seasons. She finished with a 25-2 record last year and is 25-3 this year entering the postseason.
Indian Hills made Kinnaird work for the record in the first game Tuesday. The Warriors scored in the top of the seventh to pull within 3-2 and had runners at the corners with two outs, but Kinnaird got the final out on a ground ball.
Morgan Frost hit a two-run double for Kirkwood in the first inning to give the Eagles a quick 2-0 lead. Indian Hills made it 2-1 in the top of the fifth, but the Eagles made it 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Taylor Nearad hit a single, advanced to second on a single by Maddie Hansen, stole third and scored on a grounder.
Kinnaird (25-3, 1.22 ERA) struck out five batters in the opener and has 240 strikeouts for the year, the most K's in the country. She also leads all NJCAA Division II pitchers with her 25 wins.
Kirkwood rallied for four runs in the fifth inning to take a 4-2 lead in the second game, but Indian Hills tied the game 4-4 in the sixth and scored the game-winner in the seventh.
Taylor Nearad and Angie McBeain went 3-for-4 in the nightcap. DoniRae Mayhew and McBeain drove in two runs.
Kirkwood (49-4) won the four-game series from Indian Hills (25-13) this season, 3-1. Indian Hills won the ICCAC Division I conference title and Kirkwood tied for the ICCAC Division II conference title.
Kirkwood will host Southwestern in the first round of the regional tournament Friday at 2 p.m. The tournament will continue Saturday and Sunday, with the winner advancing to a district tournament.
GAME 1
Indian Hills 000 010 1 - 2 6 1
Kirkwood 200 010 x - 3 7 2
W - Kinnaird. L - Goodale.
GAME 2
Indian Hills 002 002 1 - 5 10 0
Kirkwood 000 040 0 - 4 10 3
W - Promes. L - Kinnaird.
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