Metro Sports Report

Mustang baseball gets first win

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Mount Mercy baseball team broke into the victory  column Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Park University in Arizona.

Lyle Fini collected a two-run double in the fifth inning to give the  Mustangs a 2-0 lead and the Mount Mercy pitchers made it hold up.

Tanner Lohaus pitched the first five innings, allowing one run on  three hits. Blake Willenborg tossed three scoreless innings in relief  and Skylar Freese notched two strikeouts in the ninth inning for the  save as the Mustangs raised their record to 1-6. The three pitchers  allowed only five hits.

No. 11 KCC men dunk No. 13 NIACC

MASON CITY - The Kirkwood men's basketball team is one victory away  from clinching the No. 1 seed for the regional tournament later this  month.

The 11th-ranked Eagles topped 13th-ranked NIACC, 97-84, Saturday in an  ICCAC conference showdown in Mason City as Devonte Thedford, DJ  Purnell, Luke Appel and Seybian Sims combined for 81 points.

Kirkwood remained tied for the conference lead with ninth-ranked DMACC  with 11-2 records with one game left in the regular season. If the  Eagles defeat Iowa Central at home next Saturday, they'll clinch the  top seed for the regional tournament because they own the tiebreaker  over DMACC.

Thedford scored 24 points, Purnell netted 22, Appel contributed 19 and  Sims added 16 to lead the attack Saturday. Appel grabbed 13 rebounds  for a double-double and Purnell snared nine caroms. Thedford shot  12-for-12 at the foul line and Purnell was 8-for-8.

No. 2 Eagles fall at No. 1 NIACC

MASON CITY - The road to the national tournament for the Kirkwood  women's basketball tournament will probably run through Mason City.

And that's not especially good news for Kirkwood.

The second-ranked Eagles lost to top-ranked NIACC, 85-64, in their  conference showdown in Mason City Saturday and now NIACC has clinched  the No. 1 seed for the regional.

Only one team from the Iowa regional will make the NJCAA Division II  national tournament, which means Kirkwood might have to return to  Mason City in a few weeks and try to beat NIACC in a rematch on their  home floor for a coveted trip to nationals.

Kirkwood enjoyed an early 16-6 lead Saturday, but the Eagles got into  foul trouble and trailed 46-34 at halftime. They never caught up.

NIACC pumped in fifteen 3-pointers compared to only three for Kirkwood.

Mustangs top Peru State for clutch win

The Mount Mercy Mustangs won a crucial game for their absent head  coach Saturday. Of more importance, they won a crucial game for  themselves.

The Mustangs, scrambling for a spot in the Heart of America Conference  playoffs, bumped off Peru State, 89-85, Saturday with their backs  against the wall.

Coach Aaron Jennings and starting guard Streeter McIlravy missed the  game with the flu and Dennis McKinney, their leading scorer, got hit  in the head in the second half and did not return to the game as a  precautionary measure against a possible concussion.

The Mustangs found a way to win anyway against one of the top teams in  the league.

"I'm just really proud of the guys," said assistant coach Martez  Creighton, who subbed for Jennings. "They worked hard the last couple  of days in practice.