Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

McCormick sparks No. 5 Eagles in Missouri

JOPLIN, Mo. - Sonya McCormick had gotten off to a slow start with the Kirkwood softball team this year after transferring from Iowa Central,  but that changed Saturday.

McCormick went 6-for-7 with a two-run homer and six RBIs as the  fifth-ranked Eagles won two more games at the Crowder Bash in Joplin,  Mo.

McCormick, a third baseman, went 3-for-3 with a home run and three  RBIs in a 14-0 victory over Allen County, then she went 3-for-4 with  three more RBIs in a 12-4 verdict over Three Rivers.

McCormick raised her batting average from .167 to a much healthier .323 with her performance. She hit .368 with 11 homers and 54 RBIs as  a freshman at Iowa Central last season.

Monika Bevans went 5-for-7 Saturday with four doubles and six RBIs.

Read more...

KCC baseball team dumps Hagerstown

VERO BEACH, Fla. - The Kirkwood baseball team got strong pitching Saturday and topped Hagerstown, 9-1, in the first game of their spring trip to Florida.

Cameron Leff allowed only three hits in five innings, with five  strikeouts and two walks. Hagerstown scored an unearned run during Leff's stint on the mound.

Nate Barnes and Ian Delleman both tossed one shutout inning in relief.

Taylor Jackson went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs. Cal Clark was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Izaya Fullard was  2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Read more...

Bevans helps Eagles upend NE Oklahoma

JOPLIN, Mo. - Monika Bevans hit for the cycle and drove in three runs Friday as the Kirkwood Eagles knocked off Northeast Oklahoma A&M  College, 5-2, at the Crowder Bash in Joplin, Mo.

Northeast Oklahoma was ranked No. 6 in the NJCAA Division I poll this week, while Kirkwood was ranked No. 5 in Division II.

The Eagles also topped Carl Albert, 7-1, on Friday, running their record to 11-1 for the campaign.

Kenady Waugh delivered a sacrifice fly for Kirkwood in the 5-2 verdict over Northeast Oklahoma. DoniRae Mayhew collected the win and Natalie  Halvorson got the save in relief.

Halvorson returned to the circle for the game against Carl Albert and tossed a four-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk.

Read more...

No. 5 Eagles stunned by Iowa Central

The Kirkwood Eagles never imagined their season would end in bitter disappointment in the regional semifinals against a team they defeated twice during the regular season, but that's exactly what happened at Johnson Hall Thursday night.

Iowa Central stunned the fifth-ranked Eagles, 75-74, on a shot by Tray Croft with five seconds left to end Kirkwood's season a lot earlier than anyone expected.

Kirkwood won the conference title this season and finished six games ahead of Iowa Central in the league standings, but the Tritons will be playing for the regional title Saturday while the Eagles rue their misfortune. Iowa Central finished 5-7 in the league this year compared to an 11-1 mark by Kirkwood, but that does not matter now.

"It's just disappointing," said Kirkwood Coach Bryan Petersen, who led the Eagles to the 2016 national title and was hoping for another shot this season. "I feel bad for our group, because we had a really good year and obviously that's not the way we want to go out."

Kirkwood finished with a 24-6 record. There are no at-large bids to the national tournament, so the Eagles are done.

Croft, a sensational 6-foot-1 guard from Alabama, torched the Eagles for 31 points, including the game-winner from just inside the foul line over Kirkwood soph Ethan Meeker.

Croft played all 40 minutes and shot 13 for 26 from the field, with four 3-pointers. He also snared a game-best nine rebounds and had three assists.

Read more...

KCC women stroll to 19th win in row

The Kirkwood women's basketball team waltzed to its 19th straight  victory Wednesday night with a 95-31 victory over Southwestern in the opening round of the regional tournament at Johnson Hall.

The second-ranked Eagles (29-3) host Southeastern (22-9) in the semifinals Saturday at 1 p.m., with 12th-ranked NIACC (25-6) facing Iowa Central (17-14) in the other semifinal at 3 p.m. at Johnson Hall.

The regional championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. at  Johnson Hall, regardless of who's playing.

Mackenzie Jenkins led Kirkwood with 14 points and five rebounds. Tayana Wilson collected 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and  three steals. Olivia Usher and Arika Wooldridge scored 10 points apiece.

Keaundra Washington scored 11 points for Southwestern (8-22).

Kirkwood enjoyed a 50-16 bulge in rebounding and a 56-4 advantage in  bench points. Kirkwood used 13 players in the ballgame and all of them scored at least three points.

Read more...

King shines as No. 5 Eagles roll

The Kirkwood Eagles played a game of "King Me" Tuesday night at Johnson Hall.

And if Chris King keeps shooting like this, the Eagles might be crowned the kings of junior college basketball for the second time in three years.

King tossed in seven 3-pointers and scored 28 points as the fifth-ranked Eagles topped Little Priest Tribal College, 98-78, in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Division II regional tournament.

Kirkwood (24-5) hosts Iowa Central (20-11) in the semifinals Thursday at 7 p.m.

King, a 6-foot sophomore from Des Moines, was on fire all night. He scorched the nets from 3-point distance, nailing 7 of 10, and finished 10 of 13 overall from the field.

"I was kind of in the groove today," he acknowledged. "I was just taking the shots the defense was giving me. They were playing a zone, so I had pretty open 3's and I think I'm a pretty good shooter.

"My teammates were finding me. It just kind of happened."

Read more...

Kirkwood set for regional basketball events

If the Kirkwood basketball teams keep winning this week, all of their games in the regional tournaments will be played on their home court at Johnson Hall in southwest Cedar Rapids.

The men's regional basketball tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Kirkwood is the No. 1 seed and has the home-court advantage, beginning with the quarterfinals Tuesday at 7 p.m. against the Little Priest Tribal College.

The women's regional tournament is scheduled for Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Kirkwood is the No. 1 seed and has the home-court advantage, beginning with the quarterfinals Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against Southwestern, which downed Little Priest, 60-51, in a play-in game Monday night in Creston.

Kirkwood earned the top seeds as league champions.

Read more...

Fullard helps Eagles slam Lewis & Clark

GODFREY, Ill. - Izaya Fullard went 4-for-7 with a grand slam and six  RBIs Sunday as the Kirkwood Eagles swept a doubleheader from Lewis &  Clark, 5-1 and 12-0 in five innings.

Kirkwood swept the four-game series from Lewis & Clark and outscored  the hosts, 35-12.

Fullard went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the 5-1 victory in the opener.  Ellison Hanna was 3-for-4 with a double.

Cal Stalzer pitched four strong innings for the victory, allowing one  run on five hits with seven strikeouts. Peyton Long and Cam Cowan  combined for three scoreless innings in relief.

Fullard was 2-for-3 with his grand slam in the second game. Ross  Kramer also slugged a home run and Chili Moseley had two hits.  Kirkwood erupted for nine runs in the fourth inning.

Read more...

KCC softball slugs 10 homers

CONCORDIA, Kan. - Rachel Stewart slugged four home runs and drove in nine runs Sunday as the Kirkwood Eagles won two lopsided games in Kansas.

Stewart went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs in a 20-8 victory over Barton, then went 3-for-4 with two more homers and five RBIS in an 18-1 stroll by Southeast Community College.

Stewart, a freshman middle infielder from Davenport, scored seven runs for Kirkwood.

The seventh-ranked Eagles belted 10 homers Sunday and finished with a 5-1 record on their weekend trip through Kansas, raising their overall mark to 9-1.

Monika Bevans was 6-for-7 Sunday with two doubles, a triple and four runs scored. Lauren Kuch was 5-for-7 with two homers, three RBIs and six runs. Audra Bridenstine was 5-for-7 with two RBIs and four runs.

Read more...