KCC BASEBALL HEADED BACK TO WORLD SERIES

BISMARCK, N.D. - The Kirkwood Eagles found their comfort zone after finding themselves in a hole at the district baseball tournament Saturday.

The seventh-ranked Eagles rallied for a 13-6 victory over Bismarck State in the district opener after trailing 5-1 in the third inning, a common trait for the Comeback Kids the last two seasons.

Kirkwood captured the district title with a 5-3 victory over Bismarck State in the second game Saturday to earn another trip to the NJCAA Division II World Series in Enid, Okla.

The Eagles will be making their third trip to the World Series in four years under Coach Todd Rima, who has compiled a 330-177 record in 10 years at Kirkwood.

The World Series is scheduled for May 28-June 4 at the David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Oklahoma. The Eagles placed fifth last season.

Kirkwood never panicked after trailing 5-1 in the district opener. They scored three runs in the fourth inning and put another three-spot on the board in the fifth inning for a 7-5 lead. The Eagles cemented the victory with three more runs in the seventh inning and three more in the ninth.

Kyle Hayes and Cael Frost belted two homers apiece in the 13-6 triumph. Noah Furcht, Trenton Burkhalter and Ryan Nelson also socked home runs. Nelson collected four RBIs.

Cade Turner (5-2) picked up the victory in relief in Game 1. He did not allow any hits or walks during his 3.2 innings on the mound and struck out five batters.

Kirkwood never trailed in Game 2, but the contest was tied 2-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth when the Eagles scored twice for a 4-2 advantage on their way to the 5-3 victory.

Chase Moseley belted a solo homer for Kirkwood. Jake Matthaidess (7-1) pitched 6.2 strong innings for the victory, allowing only one earned run with eight strikeouts.