Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

KCC softball facing elite field at Series

The Kirkwood Eagles will be facing a strong field at the NJCAA Division II Softball Championship in Clinton, Miss., this week.

There are 11 ranked teams in the 16-team tournament and two other teams that are receiving votes in the national poll.

The tournament features No. 1 DMACC (44-0), No. 2 LSU Eunice (46-18), No. 4 Jones County (49-3) and No. 5 Kirkwood (48-11) as the likely top-four seeds in the event that begins Wednesday at Traceway Park.

If the tournament goes according to form, Kirkwood would be seeded to meet DMACC in the semifinals. DMACC swept the four-game series from the Eagles in the ICCAC conference this season.

The other seeded teams are No. 6 Phoenix (49-8), No. 7 Cowley (39-14), No. 9 Madison (49-8), No. 11 Illinois Central (35-9), No. 12 Lansing (40-9), No. 14 Mercer County (37-6) and No. 17 Pitt (32-11).

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No. 16 Eagles stun NIACC at regional

CLINTON - It's extremely hard to beat a good team in a postseason baseball tournament when you commit six errors, but the Kirkwood Eagles found a way Friday.

The 16th-ranked Eagles exploded for 10 runs in the top of the eighth inning and stunned NIACC, 13-5, in the second round of the regional tournament at Ashford University Field in Clinton.

Kirkwood (38-14-1) is scheduled to face seventh-ranked Southeastern (46-11) in the winners bracket final Saturday at 3 p.m.

The Eagles committed three of their errors in the bottom of the seventh inning to help NIACC grab a 5-3 lead, but instead of sulking they battled back and promptly took control of the game.

NIACC got sloppy on defense in the top of the eighth with two errors and a passed ball to help Kirkwood take a 6-5 lead, giving the Eagles a golden opportunity. They cashed in.

Korry Howell hit a two-run single to make it 8-5, and shortly later Izaya Fullard socked a two-run homer to make it 11-5. Spencer Wiskus drove in Ross Kramer with an RBI single to make it 12-5, then Kal Youngquist drew a bases-loaded walk for the 10th run of the inning to make it 13-5.

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Pitching gems send Eagles to World Series

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - DoniRae Mayhew pitched a no-hitter and Natalie Halvorson followed with a perfect game Thursday as the fifth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles dominated Nebraska Central, 10-0 and 9-0, to win the district softball title in Nebraska.

Kirkwood (48-11) earned a spot in the NJCAA Division II World Series for the fourth straight year and for the sixth time during Joe Yegge's 11 seasons as head coach.

The national tournament will be held in Clinton, Miss., from May 16-19.

Mayhew (20-3) struck out five batters in the first game, which ended after five innings due to the college mercy rule.

Halvorson (25-8) did not allow any runners to reach base in the second game, which ended in the bottom of the sixth inning on a three-run walk-off homer by Monika Bevans.

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No. 16 Eagles win opener at regional

CLINTON - Peyton Long pitched seven strong innings Thursday to help the 16th-ranked Kirkwood Eagles defeat DMACC, 9-1, in the opening round of the regional baseball tournament at Ashford University Field.

The Eagles (37-14-1) will play in the winner's bracket semifinals Friday at 3 p.m. The game was moved up from the original 3 p.m. start in anticipation of rainy weather in Friday's forecast.

Long (3-2) allowed only one run on five hits in seven innings. He struck out four batters and walked three.

Cameron Cowan pitched the eighth and final inning for Kirkwood. The game ended after eight frames due to the tournament's mercy rule with the Eagles leading by eight runs.

Korry Howell, Taylor Jackson, Ross Kramer, Chili Moseley and Joel Thompson had two hits for Kirkwood. Jackson and Izaya Fullard had two RBIs. Thompson socked a solo home run and had a double.

Kirkwood scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and took a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the second.

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Sevcik commits to Saint Ambrose golf

Kirkwood sophomore Jake Sevcik plans to continue his college golf career at Saint Ambrose University in Davenport, he announced Thursday.

Sevcik, a Linn-Mar grad, carries a 77.76 scoring average for the Eagles.

The Kirkwood golf program has qualified for the NJCAA Division II national tournament in Alabama  on May 22-25.

Mayhew, Stewart lead all-region softball

DoniRae Mayhew and Rachel Stewart of Kirkwood have received two of the top honors on the all-region softball team.

Mayhew has been named the NJCAA Region XI Offensive Player of the Year and is  hitting .442 with 28 home runs and 84 RBIs. She leads the nation in homers and RBIs.

Stewart, a shortstop, has been named the Defensive Player of the Year after anchoring Kirkwood's infield. She's hitting .480 with 13 homers and 60 RBIs. Stewart leads the nation with 95 runs and is tied for first with 94 hits.

Natalie Halvorson, Monika Bevans and Lauren Kuch of Kirkwood were named first team in Region XI. Halvorson, a pitcher, is 24-8 with two saves and a 2.52 ERA. She has 147 strikeouts in 169 2/3 innings, with only 25 walks.

Bevans, a catcher, is hitting .484 with 15 homers and 68 RBIs. Kuch, a left fielder, is hitting .454 with 12 homers and 63 RBIs.

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Kirkwood golfers capture Region XI title

PANORA - Freshman Dawson Peters fired a final round 73 to capture the individual championship, leading the Kirkwood golf team to the Region XI title on Sunday at the Lake Panorama National Resort course.

Peters finished with a two-day total of 147, one shot ahead of Southwestern's Oliver Pearson and two shots better than Eagle teammate Max Thrune.

The Eagles, who trailed by one shot after the first day, finished at 601 as a team, well ahead of DMACC (612) and NIACC (624). All three teams qualify for the NJCAA national tournament, May 22-25 at Glenlakes Golf Club in Foley, Ala.

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Mayhew leads Eagles to regional title

Kirkwood softball coach Joe Yegge wasn't sure who to pitch in the regional finals on Sunday because DoniRae Mayhew has battled a sore arm the last few weeks and looked a little wobbly in the regional semifinals on Saturday.

Yegge sent his star a text message Saturday night to get a better feel for the situation.

"Last night I asked her, 'How do you feel?,'" he said Sunday afternoon, "and she goes, 'Give me the ball.'

"I've been waiting two years to hear her say something like that."

Case closed.

"He texted me last night and asked if I wanted the ball for the first game and I was like, 'Of course I do! Is that even a question?," the talented right-hander confirmed.

Mayhew tossed a two-hitter and helped her own cause with a two-run homer as the fifth-ranked Eagles spanked Iowa Central, 11-1, in five innings to capture the regional title at the Kirkwood field.

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Kaste, Bevans deliver for No. 5 Eagles

Miranda Kaste and Monica Bevans are not planning to play college softball after they finish their careers at Kirkwood this season, but they've both left the door ajar.

After what they did Saturday, it might be tough for either Eagle to put their bats and gloves away for good.

Kaste belted two clutch home runs and Bevans snapped a 5-5 tie with a two-run double as the fifth-ranked Eagles escaped Iowa Central, 8-5, in the second round of the regional tournament at Kirkwood.

Kaste, who is not known as a power hitter, slammed a long homer to right field to tie the game, 1-1, in the fifth inning and get all those goose-eggs off the scoreboard.

She came up again in the sixth inning and belted a long two-run homer to center field to tie the game again, 5-5, and set the stage for Bevans' heroics a little later in the inning.

Kirkwood (45-11) will face Iowa Central (32-27) again Sunday at high noon in the championship round of the double-elimination tournament.

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