Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Kirkwood belts Cornell JV, 14-4

MOUNT VERNON - Austin Saikal and Brandon Brittain combined to drive in 10 runs as Kirkwood smacked the Cornell junior varsity, 14-4, in a college baseball game in Mount Vernon Thursday.

Saikal was 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs. Brittain was 2-for-5 with a double and five RBIs.

Kolton Smith went 3-for-3 with a double and triple for Kirkwood (13-8). Zach Patterson hit a home run for the Eagles.

Dariel Checo was the winning pitcher.

Jenkins sets table for powerful Eagles

Chasney Jenkins stands just a smidgeon over 5 feet tall, but she plays one of the biggest roles on the powerful Kirkwood softball team as a superb leadoff hitter.

Jenkins gets on base on a regular basis and her teammates drive her in.

The formula worked again Wednesday as the 11th-ranked Eagles overwhelmed Ellsworth Community College, 18-1 and 23-1, in a junior college doubleheader at the Kirkwood diamond.

Both games lasted only 4 1/2 innings.

Kirkwood belted 12 home runs in the twinbill, with six in each game. Lexie Biehl and Brook Prior hit three homers and at one point the Eagles hit four straight home runs. Biehl went 7-for-8 and drove in 14 runs.

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No. 9 Eagles trounce No. 12 Tritons

Kirkwood pitcher Nicky Simpson had a simple plan Sunday in cold, blustery conditions at the ballpark.

Throw strikes, get quick outs, get back in the dugout, reach for the hand-warmers, climb into a warm jacket.

"I think that was part of everyone's mentality that you had in the back of your head," she said. "Keep getting outs so you could get back in the dugout."

The plan worked perfectly.

Simpson tossed a one-hitter as the ninth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles blasted No. 12 Iowa Central, 13-0, in the first game of an ICCAC softball doubleheader at Kirkwood.

Brooke Prior followed the same script in the nightcap with a tidy two-hitter as the Eagles completed an impressive sweep, 11-1. Both games lasted only 4 1/2 innings due to the 10-run rule.

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Kirkwood sweeps pair from DMACC

Luke Hassman had a home run and three RBIs and Jamison Steege tossed a complete-game four-hitter as Kirkwood downed DMACC, 6-1, in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday at Kirkwood.

The Eagles (12-8, 3-1) completed the sweep of No. 20 DMACC with a 5-2 victory behind three hits apiece from Ozzie Adams and Bryce Grimm.

In the opener Hassman had three hits, including his home run. Steege fanned four batters en route to his complete game.

Adams and Grimm led the offense in game two while Brock Neuhaus and Austin Clemens combined to stymie the DMACC bats.

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Weeces tosses 1-hitter as Coe sweeps

FULTON, Mo. - Arran Weeces pitched a one-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts Saturday as Coe nipped Westminster College, 1-0, in the first game of a softball doubleheader in Fulton, Mo.

Coe won the second game, 11-1.

Weeces (7-1) did not walk any batters in her masterpiece. She was touched for a leadoff single in the bottom of the first inning and did not allow another baserunner all day.

Coe scored its only run in the first game in the top of the second inning. Mallory McArtor tripled down the right-field line with two outs and scored on a single by Erin Lang. Lang was 3-for-4 in the ballgame.

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No.9 KCC softball team sweeps

The ninth-ranked Kirkwood softball team belted six home runs Saturday and swept Iowa Lakes, 8-0 and 11-0, in an ICCAC conference doubleheader at Kirkwood.

Erin Weno slugged two solo homers in the first game. Jasmine Ragusi and Natalie Clark also hit home runs in the opener. Tara Walls was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.

Mallory Neubauer and Ragusi were 2-for-3 with a home and two RBIs in the second game. Chasney Jenkins was 2-for-3 and scored two runs.

Iowa Lakes managed only two hits in the doubleheader. The Lakers are winless this season at 0-8 overall and 0-2 in the league.

Nicky Simpson and Allie Mengler were the starting pitchers for Kirkwood.

The Eagles raised their records to 11-5 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

Kirkwood hosts 12th-ranked Iowa Central in a doubleheader Sunday at noon.

Kirkwood women take 5th at NJCAA

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Cassidy Clark scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Saturday afternoon as Kirkwood topped Monroe College of New York, 77-71, to finish fifth at the NJCAA Division II national tournament in Overland Park, Kan.

The Eagles compiled a 3-1 record at the tournament and finished the season with a 31-6 record.

Aliyah Isaac and Madison Wood chipped in 10 points apiece off the bench for Kirkwood. Prairie grad Cyerra Hutchins contributed nine points and five rebounds.

Taylor Silva collected eight points and nine assists. Kirsten Larson also had eight points. Ariel Sneed pulled down eight rebounds and Anna Martensen had seven.

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Drahozal is surprising star for Kirkwood

Nick Drahozal had modest success as a baseball player at Xavier High school, but it was nothing special and not enough to have college recruiters knocking on his door.

He actually did a little better in wrestling, finishing as high as fifth at the state tournament for the Saints. In fact, he figured wrestling might be his best bet in college.

"I was going to wrestle at Coe or Cornell," he said Saturday, "but then I decided, 'You know what? I don't know what I want to do major-wise and everything.' So I thought I'd go to Kirkwood."

Drahozal enrolled at Kirkwood last summer and noticed the Eagles were having open tryouts for the baseball team. What the heck, he thought. Let's give it a shot.

"I just wanted to see if I could make the team or not," he said.

Boy, did he ever.

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Kirkwood softball sweeps Simpson JV

INDIANOLA - Lexie Biehl belted two home runs and drove in six runs as Kirkwood clobbered the Simpson junior varsity, 15-1, in the second game of a college softball doubleheader Friday in Indianola.

Kirkwood also won the first game, 4-1.

Biehl went 3-for-3 and scored three runs in the second game. Allie Mengler went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Tara Walls was 2-for-3 with a solo home run. Chasney Jenkins was 2-for-2 and scored three runs.

Nicky Simpson pitched a complete game for Kirkwood in the opener. She had five strikeouts and allowed seven hits. Jasmine Ragusi and Walls were 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The sweep raised Kirkwood's record to 9-5. The Eagles host Iowa Lakes in a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.