Kirkwood Wins Region XI-B Tournament Championship

Cedar Rapids  - Akers tosses 1-hitter for regional title

Payton Akers tossed a one-hitter Monday to help Kirkwood blank Ellsworth, 3-0, for the regional softball title at the Kirkwood field.

The seventh-ranked Eagles (50-10) will face North Platte Community College (15-27) in a district tournament Saturday in North Platte, Neb., with the winner advancing to the NJCAA Division II World Series.

Akers (18-4) struck out 11 batters and walked two in her masterpiece. The leadoff batter for Ellsworth got a base hit, but that was their only safety of the game.

Randyn Carter went 2-for-3 for Kirkwood. The game was scoreless for four innings. The Eagles scored one run in the fifth and two more in the sixth for the victory.