CEDAR RAPIDS - After sweeping North Iowa Area, the Iowa Central baseball team will take part in the four-team double-elimination Region XI Tournament beginning here Friday.

The Tritons face Northeast at 1 p.m. with Kirkwood and Des Moines Area meeting after. The winners face off Saturday at 2 p.m. with the losers playing in an elimination game at 11 a.m. 

Games are scheduled to run through Sunday with the crowning of a regional champion. That team advances to districts, which will be held May 21-22. The NJCAA World Series is set for May 29-June 5 in Enid, Oklahoma.

During the regular season, Iowa Central (33-21 overall) split its four games with Northeast. The Tritons won 9-3 in the opener at home and 2-1 in the first game in Nebraska. Northeast scored 12-8 and 16-6 victories.

Iowa Central was clicking on all cylinders this past weekend, posting 6-4 and 9-0 wins over NIACC to sweep the best-of-three series. John Klein and Devon Schewe picked up victories on the mound, combining with Matthew Wilkinson and Kai Reum to record 18 strikeouts. 

Jack Sievers had a big three-run homer in the opener, with Gavin Baker, Max Holy, Brock Johnson and Derek Kay all driving in two runs each in the nightcap.

On the season, Kay has a team-high nine homers and 25 steals, Holy has driven in 51 runs, Ryan Wickman has 27 RBI and 18 steals, and Sievers has 14 extra-base hits.

Klein is 7-2 with five complete games and 73 strikeouts, Wilkinson owns six wins, two saves and 48 strikeouts, and Schewe is 5-1 with 44 strikeouts in just 30 innings. 

Northeast knocked off Ellsworth to advance. The Hawks are led by Colin Lyman, who has 15 homers, 55 RBI and 16 steals. Parker Dorrance has driven in 51 with 24 extra-base hits. 

Preston Tenney is 6-7 with 86 strikeouts, Christian Carew has five wins and 35 strikeouts, and Jeremy Schneider owns five wins.

-By Dana Becker