NIACC clinches No. 2 seed for regional tournament
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkwood Community College | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 4 |
| North Iowa Area Community College | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | X | 14 | 11 | 2 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkwood Community College | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 17 | 2 |
| North Iowa Area Community College | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 2 |
MASON CITY - The No. 16 NIACC softball team split a twinbill Sunday with No. 12 Kirkwood and clinched the No. 2 seed for the upcoming NJCAA Region 11-B tournament.
NIACC won the first game 14-8 to give the Trojans a chance to claim the ICCAC regular season title. Kirkwood (38-15 overall) won the second game 17-9 in five innings to win the league title with a record of 20-4.
NIACC (35-11 overall) placed second in the ICCAC with a record of 19-5. As the No. 2 seed, the Trojans host the NJCAA Region 11-B tournament beginning Frday on the NIACC campus.
NIACC hosts sixth-seed Northeast CC at 2 p.m. Friday in the first game of the regional tournament. Third-seed DMACC faces fifth-seed Iowa Lakes at 4 p.m. Friday.
In the first game against Kirkwood on Sunday, Laken Lienhard gained the win in relief for the Trojans. She allowed one run on four hits in the final three innings with two strikeouts.
NIACC trailed 6-1 after four innings but outscored Kirkwood 8-2 over the final three innings. The Trojans took an 8-7 lead after five innings and added six insurance runs in the sixth inning.
NIACC's Sydney Toman was 2 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs. NIACC's Emily Jones was 2 for 4 with a double and home run with three RBIs.
The Trojans' Taya Tucker was 2 for 4 with a home run and a double with three RBis. Lienhard was 2 for 4 with a double.
In the second game, the Trojans received home runs from Katy Olive, Brynnlin Kroymann and Brianna McPoland.
Eight NIACC sophomores were honored Sunday after playing their final regular season games. The eight Trojan sophomores are Lienhard, McPoland, Toman, Tucker, Kate Hansen, Rayvn Krachey, Molly McGuire and Shaye Theobald.
