#10 Eagles Battle Southwestern and NIACC

Creston/Cedar Rapids, IA- The 10th-ranked Kirkwood Eagles Baseball Team took on the Southwestern Spartans and the NIACC Trojans this past week in a pair of pivotal ICCAC games. The Eagles (28-11, 9-8 ICCAC) were coming off a 1-2 weekend against the Iowa Central Tritons and were looking to bounce back. 

Kirkwood traveled to Creston on Wednesday for a mid-week matchup against the Spartans. Southwestern would be the first team on the scoreboard with a 2-run bottom of the 1st inning. Kirkwood would get on the board in the top of the 3rd. Ethan Bowers would hit a grounder for a single followed by Brayden Hellum being walked. Miles Risley would then hit a line drive for a single that would score Bowers and put the score at 1-2. The next run would be in the 5th off a Clayton Campidilli line drive that would score Hellum from 2nd base. Even with 4 Eagles registering 2 hits a piece, Kirkwood would have a hard time finding runs. The Spartans would take the game by a score of 5-3. 

The Eagles would then take on the NIACC Trojans on Friday at home in Cedar Rapids. A consistent offensive attack by the Eagles would prove to be the difference maker on the afternoon. 8 Eagles would register hits with 4 of those players having multiple hits. In total, Kirkwood would put up 13 hits in the game. Ethan Bowers would lead the pack with 3 hits and 2 RBIs. Both Clayton Campidilli and Brayden Hellum would have 3 RBIs and Dylan Davis and Cal Sullivan would have 2 of their own. In the bottom of the 2nd, Clayton Campidilli would hit a line drive for a double scoring Ritzer and Hellum. After that Dylan Davais would hit a home run that would then score Campidilli. Hellum would go yard in the bottom of the 5th inning, establishing a lead that the Trojans couldn't make their way back from. Kirkwood would win 12-9. 

The Eagles will now set their sights on a three-game series with DMACC this weekend in Boone.