#7 Eagles Finish Roadtrip in Kansas
Fort Scott/Overland Park, KS- Kirkwood ended its week-long road trip in Kansas this past weekend, playing opponents Fort Scott and #10 Johnson County. The Eagles have been battle-tested by ranked opponents all trip long and were ready for the test.
Fort Scott was the first opponent on Friday. The Greyhounds jumped out to an early lead on the Eagles, putting up five runs in the bottom of the first. A couple of home runs in the bottom of the third allowed them to extend that lead by 3 runs. That would end up being the final score of the game (8-0) ending the game in the 5th inning. The Eagles looked to rebound in their second game of the doubleheader against the Greyhounds. Kirkwood was down by one run for most of the game, however, in the top of the 7th, the Eagle's Brenna Ross hit a double that gave Kirkwood a 2-1 lead. Fort Scott evened the game in the bottom of the 7th so extra innings were needed. With some late-game heroics, Sophia Kreutner hit a home run in the top of the 9th that scored two runs and gave the Eagles the 4-2 win.
Next up for the Eagles was #10 Johnson County on Saturday. Kirkwood jumped out to an early 3-run lead in the top of the first off a Sailor Hall home run and Sydney Roe single, however, the game would prove to be a back-and-forth affair. Kirkwood added to their lead with three runs in the top of the 5th thanks to home runs by Peyton Johnson and Lexi Hines. Johnson County would work its way back into the game, tying it in the bottom of the 6th with a score of 9-9. Even with Kirkwood outhitting the Cavaliers 13-10, Johnson County still found a way to pull through and win the game 10-9 in the bottom of the 7th. Natalie Vitek opened the game pitching for the Eagles, allowing 5 hits and 4 runs over 4 innings, striking out 1 and walking 3. Looking for a bounce back against the Cavaliers, Kirkwood was ready for the second game of their double-header, however, the offense of Johnson County would prove to be too much to overcome. The only run scored by Kirkwood was a solo home run by Lexi Hines to left field in the top of the second. Kirkwood dropped the game by a score of 8-1.
This road trip was a great test for the Eagles who took games from ranked opponents in both DI and DII. Their next game is a double-header versus Blackhawk on March 22nd beginning at 3 PM.
