NIACC, Kirkwood split twinbill
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkwood Community College | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 2 |
| North Iowa Area Community College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkwood Community College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| North Iowa Area Community College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | X | 5 | 8 | 0 |
MASON CITY - The top two softball teams in the ICCAC split a twinbill Saturday on the NIACC campus.
No. 12 Kirkwood topped No. 16 NIACC 8-4 in the first game and the Trojans responded with a 5-3 win in the second game.
It was the first win for NIACC over Kirkwood since the Trojans stopped the Eagles 6-3 in the NJCAA Region 11 tournament on May 11, 2019.
The two teams wrap up the regular season Sunday with a pair of contests as it will be sophomore day for the NIACC softball team. The first game is slated to start at noon.
Heading into the final two games of the regular season, Kirkwood (37-14 overall) leads the league with a record of 19-3. NIACC (34-10) is a game back with a league mark of 18-4.
In Saturday's first game, NIACC trailed 8-1 heading into its final at-bat. The Trojans scored three runs in their half of the seventh inning to trim the final deficit to four runs.
In the second game, Brynn Stalberger (11-5) gained the win in the circle for the Trojans. She held the Eagles to three runs on three hits iwth three strikeouts and four walks.
NIACC's Emily Jones hit a 2-run home run and Laken Lienhard hit a solo home run. Ravyn Krachey was 2 for 3, including a double.
It was Jones' 14th home run of the season and Lienhard's 13th home run of the year and 27th of her career, which ranks 1st on the school's career home run list.
