KIRKWOOD SOFTBALL ENDS TRIP WTH GEM

Payton Akers pitched a five-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts Wednesday as the seventh-ranked Kirkwood Eagles blanked 20th-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast, 4-0, in the final game of their trip through Mississippi and Alabama.

The Eagles finished the trip with a 4-4 record against stiff competition, leaving their overall record at 10-6 for the campaign.

Akers tossed a complete game against Mississippi Gulf Coast and walked only two batters. She has a 3-2 record and 1.58 ERA this year. Coach Eric Frese has been rotating all three of his top pitchers, with Kori
Wedeking (4-2, 2.65) and Kara Maiers (3-2, 2.71) sharing the work.

Peggy Klingler is hitting .400 with four homers and 15 RBIs. Grace Lubben is batting .395 with a homer and nine RBIs. Emilee Linder is hitting .333 with a homer and 18 RBIs.

Alecea Mendoza is batting .326 with 2 homers and 15 RBIs. Reagan Schulte is hitting .325 with two homers and eight RBIs. Chelsea Buck is hitting .314 with three homers and eight RBIs. Buck hit a home run
in the 4-0 victory over Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Kirkwood split a doubleheader with top-ranked Northwest Mississippi on the trip. The Eagles lost to third-ranked Jones College and split their twin-bill with Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Kirkwood has a team batting average of .295 with 13 home runs. The pitching staff has a collected team ERA of 2.26.