Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

No. 1 Eagles roll at national tourney

DANVILLE, Ill. - The Kirkwood Eagles looked like the No. 1 team in the  country Tuesday afternoon.

The top-ranked Eagles built a 21-point lead in the first half and  thrashed North Central Missouri, 96-66, in the first round of the  NJCAA Division II national tournament at the Mary Miller Center.

Kirkwood (28-4) will face Niagara County (N.Y.), a 73-61 winner over Wake Tech (N.C.), in the quarterfinals Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Allante Pickens popped in five 3-pointers in the first half and had 17  points by intermission, with the Eagles sitting on a 53-32 lead at  that point. He finished with six triples and 24 markers. Pickens shot  9-for-10 overall from the field and 6-for-7 on 3-pointers.

Doug Wilson and Devonte Thedford scored 13 points apiece for Kirkwood.  Jamal Stephenson netted 12 points off the bench and Connor Kasperbauer  contributed 10 points. Wilson had 10 rebounds.

"I thought we played pretty well," said Kirkwood Coach Bryan Petersen.  "For spurts, we really executed defensively. And offensively we made  some shots."

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Kirkwood baseball sweeps Sussex County

WINTER HAVEN, Fl. - The Kirkwood baseball team raised its record to  8-6 Monday by sweeping a doubleheader from Sussex County, 10-2 and  8-6, on its spring trip to Florida.

The Eagles have won six of their last seven games.

Luke Llewellyn pitched a complete game for Kirkwood in the 10-2  victory in the opener. Both of the runs scored by Sussex County were  unearned in the seven-inning contest. He scattered seven hits, with  nine strikeouts and two walks.

Jamarion Loston went 3-for-5 in the first game with three RBIs and two  runs. Taylor Jackson was 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Levi Usher, Brennan  Brister and Jackson Bennett had two hits. Brister and Bennett scored  twice. Kal Youngquist hit a home run.

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Carter belts 2 homers for KCC

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. - Randyn Carter belted a pair of home runs for the  fourth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles Monday in Kansas.

One of Carter's homers came in a 3-2 loss to 19th-ranked Cowley  County. The other homer came in an 18-6 romp over Cowley in the second  game of their doubleheader.

The split left Kirkwood with a 13-4 record for the season.

Erin Hocker was the hard-luck losing pitcher for the Eagles in the 3-2  loss in the first game. All three of Cowley's runs against Hocker were  unearned thanks to three errors.

Carter hit a solo home run in the tight defeat. Lauren Kuch and Rachel  Stewart had two hits.

Kuch went 3-for-5 with four RBIs in the 18-6 victory in Game 2. Carter  was 3-for-3 with another solo homer. Stewart was 3-for-4 and drove in  two runs. London Jackson was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

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Klaahsen stars as No. 4 Eagles sweep

FORT SCOTT, Kan. - Lauren Klaahsen had a day to remember for the Kirkwood softball team Sunday.

Klaahsen went 7-for-7 with a double, triple, home run and six RBIs as  the fourth-ranked Eagles swept Fort Scott, 13-0 and 10-2, in a pair of  five-inning games.

Klaahsen, the designated player for Kirkwood, went 4-for-4 in the 13-0  victory in the first game with a double, triple, two runs and three  RBIs. Randyn Carter was 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Rachel  Stewart was 3-for-4 with two doubles and scored three times. London  Jackson was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Jessi Butler had  two hits.

Erin Hocker tossed a one-hit shutout in Game 1 with two strikeouts and  one walk.

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KCC baseball dumps Hudson Valley

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The Kirkwood baseball team continued its lusty  hitting in Florida Sunday with a 17-7 victory over Hudson Valley.

The game was stopped in the bottom of the eighth inning by the 10-run  rule as the Eagles scored seven times in the frame.

Kal Youngquist went 2-for-4 with two doubles and five RBIs as Kirkwood  squared its record at 6-6 for the campaign.

Taylor Jackson continued his hot hitting in Florida by going 2-for-4  with a home run, four runs scored and four RBIs. Brett Givens was  3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs.

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Jackson stars as Kirkwood sweeps Lakeland

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Taylor Jackson enjoyed a remarkable day for the Kirkwood baseball team Saturday.

Jackson went 8-for-9 with six RBIs as the Eagles swept Lakeland Community College, 16-5 and 10-0, as part of their spring trip to Florida.

The twin-killing lifted Kirkwood to a 5-6 record for the 2019 campaign.

Jackson was 6-for-6 with a triple, three runs and five RBIs in the 16-5 victory in the opener. The fleet center fielder served as the designated hitter in Game 2 and went 2-for-3 with two runs and another RBI.

Zion Pettigrew was 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs in the first game. Levi Usher also went 3-for-5 and scored three times. Gabe Lux scored four runs in the ballgame. Corey Graham was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Kirby Kerr drove in two runs and D'Eric Shenault scored twice.

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Usher helps Eagles split in Florida

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - Levi Usher had a big day for the Kirkwood Eagles Friday as they split a doubleheader with Oakton Community College on their spring trip to Florida.

Oakton won the first game, 9-8. Kirkwood rebounded with a 7-1 victory in the nightcap, leaving the Eagles with a 3-6 record.

Usher, a freshman right fielder from Cedar Rapids Prairie, went 4-for-7 in the twinbill  with three runs, five RBIs, a double, a home run, three stolen bases and a walk.

Usher went 2-for-3 in the 9-8 loss in the opener with a double, home run and three RBIs. Taylor Jackson was 2-for-4 with a solo home run. Corey Graham had two hits and Jamarion Loston scored twice. Joel Vaske hit a solo home run.

The opener was tied, 8-8, headed into the bottom of the seventh. Oakton scored with two outs for the victory.

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Eagles grab No. 1 seed for nationals

The Kirkwood Eagles have been awarded the No. 1 seed for the NJCAA  Division II men's basketball tournament next week at the Mary Miller  Center in Danville, Ill.

Coach Bryan Petersen's Eagles (27-4) will face North Central Missouri (18-12) in the  first round of the 16-team national tournament on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

The quarterfinals are scheduled for Wednesday, the semifinals on  Friday and the championship game on Saturday.

Highland Community College of Kansas was the top-ranked team in the  national poll last week, but Highland did not qualify for the national  tournament. Kirkwood, which was ranked No. 2 last week, moved into the  top spot in the rankings as well as getting the No. 1 seed in the  tournament.

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11 Eagles earn regional honors

Eleven players from the Kirkwood men’s and women’s basketball teams  have received postseason honors on the all-regional teams announced  Monday.

Doug Wilson was named the Outstanding Player in NJCAA Division II  Region XI and led the first-team selections. Allante Pickens joined  Wilson on the first team.

Luke Appel was named second team all-region. Devonte Thedford and  Connor Kasperbauer were named Honorable Mention.

The Kirkwood men won the regional title Saturday and will play in the  national tournament next week in Danville, Ill.

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