Hawks end season with win over NIACC, loss to Iowa Central
May 4, 2017
BOONE, IA – The Northeast Community College softball team ended their season here yesterday on the second day of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI-A tournament. The Hawks won their second round game against North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), 15-2, then fell to Iowa Central Community College in the third round, 11-10.
The Hawks’ victory over NIACC was the program’s first playoff win since its inception last year. Savannah Robertson went 2-for-3 with two runs, a double and an RBI. Emily Sherstone finished 2-for-4 with two runs, a double and two RBIs. Kianna Garza (3-for-3) had two runs and four RBIs.
“We came out with a little more spunk today,” said Northeast Coach Iris Woodhead. “It was nice to see the girls step up and play the game the right way. We swung the bats well, and Teanne (Edens) pitched well.”
With the win, Northeast advanced to play Iowa Central Community College. The Tritons had previously defeated the Hawks in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday, 9-1.
“We battled hard in this game,” Woodhead said of the 11-10 loss. “It was a tough one to lose in the seventh after we had tied it up, but the kids showed some great heart and fight. I think it was a great game for us to end the season on.”
Robertson went 2-for-4 with three runs, three RBIs and two doubles. Garza went 2-for-4 with two runs, two home runs and five RBIs.
“Only one team in the nation ends their season with a win,” said Woodhead. “It was great to end our season with that amount of fight, and I’m extremely proud of the girls for that. We did some pretty cool things this year with a great group of girls.”
The Region XI-A championship game between Des Moines Area Community College and Iowa Central will be played today at 12 p.m., followed by a game seven, if necessary, at 2 p.m. The winner advances to the NJCAA Region G Championship to face the winner of the Region IX tournament.
The NJCAA Division II National Softball Tournament will be held May 17-20, in Clinton, MS.
Northeast ends their season 14-17 in conference play and 25-33 overall.
Box Score – NIACC 2, Northeast 15
| Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
| NIACC | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Northeast | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 | X | 15 | 12 | 1 |
Box Score – Northeast 10, Iowa Central 11
| Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
| Northeast | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 3 |
| IA Central | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 13 | 5 |
