Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

KCC baseball drops pair to Northeast

The Kirkwood baseball team spent a long, chilly day at the ballpark  Sunday and went home empty-handed.

The Eagles were swept by Northeast Community College, 4-2 and 8-0, in  an ICCAC doubleheader at Kirkwood.

The losses dropped Kirkwood to 27-16 overall and 12-10 in the  conference, putting them in fifth place in the eight-team league.  Northeast raised its marks to 25-13 overall and 14-8 in the league,  good for second place.

Kirkwood and Northeast are scheduled for another doubleheader Monday  at Kirkwood at 1 p.m.

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No. 5 Eagles swept away by No. 2 Bears

The Kirkwood softball needed to sweep the DMACC Bears Wednesday in  order to pull into a tie for first place in the ICCAC conference  standings.

Instead, the second-ranked Bears swept the fifth-ranked Eagles and now  the league race is essentially over.

DMACC swept the twinbill, 4-1 and 7-4, at Kirkwood and now leads the  conference standings by four games with eight games to go.

DMACC is 19-1 in the league. Kirkwood has dropped into a tie for  second place with NIACC at 15-5.

The DMACC Bears are 36-5 overall. Kirkwood is 36-13.

Kirkwood trailed, 4-0, heading into the bottom of the seventh inning  of the opener. The Eagles scored one run and loaded the bases, but the  game ended with a strikeout.

Shelby Hulsebus had two hits for Kirkwood in Game 1. Erin Hocker  (18-7) allowed two earned runs and took the loss.

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Hocker nets both wins as Eagles sweep

FORT DODGE - Erin Hocker collected both victories in the circle Friday  as the fifth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles swept Iowa Central, 5-0 and 7-6,  in an ICCAC conference doubleheader in Fort Dodge.

Hocker picked up her 19th and 20th victories, tying her for third-most  in the country.

Hocker (20-7) tossed a six-hit shutout in the 5-0 triumph in the  opener. London Jackson belted her 17th home run, the fourth-most  homers in the country this season. Randyn Carter hit her seventh homer  and drove in two runs. Shelby Hulsebus had two hits. Jackson scored  twice.

Hocker pitched three innings in relief to get the victory in the 7-6  triumph in the nightcap. Kirkwood scored twice in the top of the  seventh to snap a 5-5 tie and take a 7-5 lead, then Hocker got out of  trouble in the bottom of the seventh after Iowa Central scored a run.

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Petersen leaving KCC for Jackrabbits

Bryan Petersen, one of the top young basketball coaches in the country, apparently has decided to leave Kirkwood Community College to become an assistant coach at South Dakota State.

No official announcements have been made by South Dakota State or Kirkwood, but the Metro Sports Report has confirmed from numerous sources that the move will happen.

Petersen has declined comment.

Kirkwood athletic director Doug Wagemester has confirmed that Petersen probably will be leaving and that the Kirkwood players have been informed about the impending move.

Petersen, 31, led the Eagles to the NJCAA Division II national title this season with a 31-4 record. He also led Kirkwood to the national title in 2016, giving him two championships in four years. He was named the NJCAA Division II National Coach of the Year both times.

Doug Wilson, the national Player of the Year at Kirkwood this season, has signed to continue his career at South Dakota State, so Wilson and Petersen will be united again.

The Jackrabbits are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Summit Conference. Petersen and Eric Henderson, the new head coach at South Dakota State, know each other from their days at Iowa State.

Henderson worked for the ISU program when Petersen played for the Cyclones as a junior and senior from 2007-2009.

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No. 5 Eagles swept away by No. 2 Bears

The Kirkwood softball needed to sweep the DMACC Bears Wednesday in  order to pull into a tie for first place in the ICCAC conference  standings.

Instead, the second-ranked Bears swept the fifth-ranked Eagles and now  the league race is essentially over.

DMACC swept the twinbill, 4-1 and 7-4, at Kirkwood and now leads the  conference standings by four games with eight games to go.

DMACC is 19-1 in the league. Kirkwood has dropped into a tie for  second place with NIACC at 15-5.

The DMACC Bears are 36-5 overall. Kirkwood is 36-13.

Kirkwood trailed, 4-0, heading into the bottom of the seventh inning  of the opener. The Eagles scored one run and loaded the bases, but the  game ended with a strikeout.

Shelby Hulsebus had two hits for Kirkwood in Game 1. Erin Hocker  (18-7) allowed two earned runs and took the loss.

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KCC baseball wins 6th straight

PALOS HILLS, Ill. - Levi Usher went 4-for-5 Tuesday as the Kirkwood  Eagles swept a non-conference doubleheader from Moraine Valley, 3-2  and 12-2 in five innings, in Palos Hills, Ill.

The Eagles (27-14) have won six straight games.

Usher went 2-for-3 with a double and RBI in the 3-2 victory in the  opener. Kirby Kerr allowed two runs in six innings for the victory.  Caleb Fuller collected three strikeouts in the seventh inning for a  save.

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KCC baseball sweeps Ellsworth again

IOWA FALLS - The Kirkwood Eagles flexed their muscles Saturday and swept Ellsworth, 7-2 and 17-4, in an ICCAC conference doubleheader in Iowa Falls.

Kirkwood won all four games in the series, raising its records to 25-14 overall and 12-8 in the conference. The Eagles are tied for fourth place in the ICCAC, but are just one game out of second place.

Kal Youngquist belted a home run, scored twice and drove in four runs in the 7-2 victory in the opener. Joel Vaske was 3-for-4. Zion Pettigrew had two hits and scored twice. Taylor Jackson also scored twice.

Cameron Leff (4-1) pitched five shutout innings for the victory. He allowed only one hit, with six strikeouts and three walks.

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Peters wins Blue Boy title with eagle

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Dawson Peters of Kirkwood showed a real flair for the dramatic on Saturday.

Peters carded an eagle-2 on the first hole of a three-way playoff to claim medalist honors at the Blue Boy Invitational at The Rail Golf Course in Springfield, Ill.

Peters, Ben Epperly of Kirkwood and Peyton Keeffer of the University of Dubuque finished the 36-hole event in a three-way tie at 149 before Peters quickly ended the suspense.

The third-ranked Kirkwood Eagles won the championship by 16 shots with Peters, Epperly, Will Babcock, George Kalpakas and James Morgan all finishing in the top-7 in the standings. Kalpakas played as an individual and did not count in the team score.

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No. 5 Eagles sweep Iowa Lakes

ESTHERVILLE - The Kirkwood softball team enjoyed its 10-2 victory over Iowa Lakes in the first game of their doubleheader Saturday, so the Eagles came right back and won 10-2 in the nightcap.

Both games ended after the sixth inning due to the mercy rule.

The pair of 10-2 triumphs lifted the fifth-ranked Eagles to 36-11 overall and 15-3 in the ICCAC conference. Iowa Lakes fell to 14-26 overall and 5-13 in the league.

Lauren Kuch belted two home runs and drove in three runs in the first game. Rachel Stewart had three RBIs. Shelby Hulsebus had two hits and Sydney Albaugh drove in two runs. London Jackson swatted her 15th home run.

Erin Hocker (18-6) pitched a complete game in the opener with nine strikeouts.

Taleah Smith went 3-for-4 with a home run, scored three times and had two RBIs in the second game. Lauren Klaahsen was 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Jayme Finn hit a home run and drove in two runs. Hulsebus scored twice. Autum Barthelman had three stolen bases.

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