Hot bats, strong pitching propel Kirkwood to Region 11-A softball title

CEDAR RAPIDS — Kirkwood softball had its back against the proverbial wall.

The Eagles faced elimination for three straight games and fought back swinging in each to keep their season alive.

Top-seeded Kirkwood completed the comeback, avenging a loss and sweeping Iowa Central for the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Region 11-A softball tournament title Sunday at home. The Eagles won the opener, 8-0, in six innings and closed with an 11-3 victory in five innings for the title.

“We understood what happened and how the game went,” Kirkwood’s Lexi Hines said about Saturday’s loss to the Tritons and 17-1 consolation win over Northeast Community College. “We just played as hard as we could for the last game yesterday and these two games today.”

Kirkwood (49-12) scored 19 total runs on 18 hits over the final series. The Eagles tallied 36 runs in three elimination contests.

“Hitting is contagious — one way or the other,” Kirkwood Coach Eric Frese said. “When it goes bad, it can go bad. When you start catching a few barrels, everybody starts hitting better. Once that first barrel happens, everyone follows suit. The runs come. I was very, very proud of them.”

In the deciding game, Iowa Central (37-21) landed the first punch. Kennedy Palmer led off the game with a triple and Jayda Long followed with an RBI groundout.

Kirkwood retaliated right away. Rachael Schlotter opened the bottom of the first with a triple down the first-base line and scored on Brenna Ross’ single, which sparked an eight-run frame.

Sailor Hall cleared the bases with a three-run double and Hines added a two-run single.

All but one Kirkwood batter scored and 12 stepped to the plate in the first. The Eagles transferred their confidence from Game 1.

“It was huge,” Hines said. “Rachael’s triple got us all going. We were hyped to play them again. We just did a good all-around job today.”

Hines drove in Kiya Johnson and Delia Schwartz with a base hit in the second. She went 2-for-2 with four RBIs and a run in the finale. Hines is not your typical No. 9 hitter and is a prime example of the Eagles’ balanced attack.

“We talk to the young ladies all the time about how hard it is for an opponent to navigate through our lineup because there are no breaks one through nine,” Frese said. “Lexi hits ninth for us and she has 15 doubles, 15 home runs and has over 60 RBIs. That’s how good we can be at times.

“If they don’t give up at-bats, it can be difficult to get through our lineup and we’ll have a chance to put up a big inning at some point in time.”

The offense was just as potent in the first game, receiving three hits and three RBIs from Ross, who drove in Schlotter for the final run, enacting the mercy rule.

“She’s so good at putting the ball in play hard,” Frese said. “She doesn’t try to do too much.”

Pitching stole the show in that contest and helped force the decisive game. Kirkwood starter Peyton Paulsen didn’t need much offense, throwing a two-hit shutout and striking out seven.

“It was more of just keeping them off their toes, knowing they have good hitters,” Paulsen said. “As long as I can get the ball in play and not get it over the plate too much so they can get hits. My defense will make the play. Obviously, it showed because they didn’t have a hit until the (fifth) inning.”

Paulsen was untouchable for most of the game. She retired the first 12 batters, striking out the leadoff batters in the first and second innings and striking out the side in the third. The Tritons didn’t get a runner past second base.

“The fun part of the college level is watching them develop from the time they get on campus to the time they leave,” Frese said. “We brought her in knowing she had good velocity. There was a little bit something missing, as far as learning how to pitch, make certain pitches and compete a little bit.

“She has come so far. She is one of the top pitchers in our conference. We couldn’t be more excited about how hard she’s worked at it.”

Paulsen received good support in the field behind her. Peyton Johnson made a diving catch in right field to open the fourth. Kiya Johnson and Schlotter turned an inning-ending double play up the middle in the fifth.

“Everyone made some really good plays,” Paulsen said. “Those were big outs.”

Paulsen was able to relax a little after the Eagles’ five-run second. Kiya Johnson hit a two-out triple and Schwartz followed with an RBI single. Ross closed the scoring with a two-run double.

Peyton Johnson added a two-run home run for Kirkwood.

“Our big thing, especially after we got through (Saturday) and Friday, was to find our pitch and take it the way that it was thrown,” Hines said. “We did a really good job with that today.”

The Eagles haven’t played their last game at home. The double dip over the Tritons earned a district tournament appearance. Kirkwood will host the Region 9 champion for a best-of-3 series on May 10-11 for a berth to the NJCAA national tournament May 20-25 in Spartanburg, S.C.

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