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* Contact Metro Sports Report * Jim Ecker, President & Editor jim.ecker@metrosportsreport.com 319-390-4236 |
WHITTINGTON, Ill. - The Kirkwood Eagles struggled on Day 2 of the Rend Lake Spring Invite Monday and finished in second place.
The Eagles held the lead after the first 18 holes Sunday at 302, but they shot 316 Monday and finished six shots behind John A. Logan College.
Max Thrune, who fired a 1-under-par 71 for Kirkwood Sunday, shot an 8-over 80 Monday and tied for fifth place at 151.
Griff Clark of Cedar Rapids Prairie plans to join the Kirkwood men's basketball program next season as an invited walk-on.
Clark, a 5-foot-11 guard, averaged 12.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals for Prairie as a senior this past season.
Clark's older brother, Cal, is the starting second baseman for the Kirkwood baseball team. Cal Clark played a few games for the Kirkwood basketball team during the 2016-17 season as an emergency substitute when the Eagles were short-handed.
WHITTINGTON, Ill. - Max Thrune fired a 1-under-par 71 Sunday to help the Kirkwood Eagles move into first place after the opening round of the Rend Lake Spring Invitational.
Thrune holds a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the 36-hole tournament Monday.
Kirkwood finished the first round at 14-over 302 for an eight-shot lead over John A. Logan College.
PANORA - The Kirkwood men's golf team dominated the NJCAA Region XI Spring Preview Friday by placing first and second in the team standings at the Lake Panorama National Resort.
In reality, the Eagles tied themselves for first place. The Kirkwood "A" team finished at 18-over-par 306 and the Kirkwood "B" team also finished at 18-over 306.
Nine junior college teams from the ICCAC conference participated in the meet.
The Kirkwood teams finished two shots ahead of DMACC.
NORFOLK, Neb. - The second-ranked Kirkwood softball team hit 12 home runs Friday and swept Northeast Community College, 12-2 and 20-3, in an ICCAC doubleheader in Nebraska.
Monika Bevans and DoniRae Mayhew belted three homers for the Eagles. Rachel Stewart and Lauren Kuch had two homers, while Natalie Halvorson and Lauren Klaahsen hit one round-tripper.
Kirkwood has socked 57 home runs in 36 games this season. Mayhew has 16 homers this year.
Mayhew (15-1) and Halvorson (14-4) were the winning pitchers.
The Kirkwood Eagles made it look easy for much of the season, winning 25 of 29 games and averaging 10 runs every time they took the field. They looked nearly invincible.
Then came a 13-2 loss, followed by a 16-0 blowout, followed by a 9-2 setback and suddenly the Eagles were struggling a little bit this week on their own diamond.
Thankfully for Kirkwood, the mini-slump has ended.
The fourth-ranked Eagles bounced back and stomped NIACC, 12-2, in five innings in the second game of their conference doubleheader Thursday in relatively balmy weather that reached the high 60's.
NIACC dumped the Eagles in the first game Thursday, 9-2, but Kirkwood righted the ship in Game 2.
It was supposed to be a showdown for bragging rights in junior college softball, but top-ranked DMACC was too good for the second-ranked Kirkwood Eagles Wednesday afternoon.
The Bears swept the Eagles, 6-0 and 9-7, to grab a two-game lead in the ICCAC conference standings and solidify their hold on the No. 1 ranking in the NJCAA Division II poll.
"They're good," said Kirkwood Coach Joe Yegge in admiration. "They're the best team in the nation."
DMACC raised its impeccable records to 26-0 overall and 8-0 in the conference. Kirkwood fell to 29-5 overall and 6-2 in the league.
Molly Jacobsen, a junior college All-American for the Bears in 2017, tossed a two-hitter against Kirkwood in the opener and retired the last 15 batters in a row. She changed speeds all game with a sizzling fastball and mesmerizing change-up.
Jacobsen began the day with a microscopic 0.10 earned run average, having allowed just one earned run in 67 innings with 142 strikeouts. Once the first game was over, her ERA was even lower at 0.09 with 149 K's in 74 innings.
Kirkwood began the day with a .391 team batting average and was averaging 9.4 runs per game, but Jacobsen (12-0) tamed the Eagles and handed them their first shutout of the year.
"She proved today that she's the best in the nation," said Yegge. "She's it. She's good. She's got all the tools.
The Kirkwood baseball team played a conference doubleheader on Tuesday and will have another ICCAC twinbill on Thursday, so you'll have to excuse the Eagles for not being in top form on Wednesday.
The fourth-ranked Eagles were demolished by eighth-ranked Heartland, 13-2 and 16-0, in a non-conference doubleheader at Kirkwood.
Both games were stopped by the college mercy rule. Kirkwood got only one hit in the second game.
Kirkwood fell to 25-6 for the season. Heartland raised its mark to 26-5 with the sweep and in all likelihood will pass the Eagles in the NJCAA Division II rankings next week.
Kirkwood sophomore Awal Ajak has been named a second team All-American in women's basketball by the NJCAA Division II selection committee.
Ajak, a 6-foot guard from Des Moines East, averaged 9.4 points and 2.9 rebounds this season. She helped Kirkwood reach the championship game of the national tournament and finish with a 34-4 record.
Ajak hit 41 percent of her 3-pointers and made 80 percent of her free throws. She has committed to play NCAA Division I basketball at Missouri-Kansas City next season.
Kirkwood freshman Doug Wilson has been named a second team NJCAA Division II All-American, it was announced Monday.
Wilson, a 6-foot-7 forward from Des Moines Hoover, averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks for the Eagles this past season. He led the nation in field-goal accuracy at 69.2 percent.
Wilson helped Kirkwood win the ICCAC conference title and finish with a 24-6 record.
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