NIACC splits twinbill with Kirkwood

MASON CITY - The NIACC and Kirkwood baseball teams split another doubleheader at chilly and windy Roosevelt Field on Saturday and split the four-game ICCAC series.

Kirkwood won the first game 10-2 and the Trojans took the second game 10-6.

The seeding for the league tournament, which starts May 11 in Waterloo, will come down to the final weekend of the regular season next weekend.

No. 13 Southeastern (34-14 overall) leads the league with a 12-6 mark and wraps up a four-game series at home against DMACC on Monday.

Kirkwoood (31-14) sits in second place at 13-7. NIACC (31-16) and Iowa Central (29-16) are tied for third at 12-8 and DMACC (25-22) is in fourth at 13-9.

After Southeastern plays DMACC on Monday, the Blackhawks wrap up the regular season at Kirkwood in a four-game series.

NIACC's last series is at Ellsworth and Iowa Central hosts Iowa Lakes. DMACC has its series' weekend bye the final weekend of the regular season.

In the first game on Saturday, Kirkwood's Peyton Long struck out 10 and tossed a complete-game five hitter. The Eagles scored in every inning except the fifth to claim the first-game victory.

Mitch Neunborn provided all of the offense for the Trojans with a two-run home run in the second inning.

In the second game, NIACC scored five runs in the second inning and plated four more in the fourth inning to claim the second-game win.

NIACC pounded out 11 hits, including home runs from Neunborn and Cam Shannon and made a winner out of sophomore left-hander Ryan Huntington, who allowed four runs with seven strikeouts and five walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Shannon, the Trojans' No. 9 hitter, was 3 for 3, including a double and HR, with four RBIs.

NIACC returns to action Wednesday in nonconference action at the Wartburg College Junior Varsity.