By: Dana Becker
Messenger Sports Staff
CEDAR RAPIDS — The Iowa Central softball team finds themselves in a position of power following the first day of action at the Region XI-Tournament here Friday. Following an 11-3 victory in six innings over Ellsworth in the opening round, the Tritons stunned host and 12th-ranked Kirkwood, 3-2.
Iowa Central (31-24-1 overall) now needs just one more win to claim the regional championship and advance to districts.
Kirkwood (38-16) and Ellsworth (5-40) will square off here Saturday in an elimination game at noon. The winner of that will face the Tritons at 2 p.m. If Iowa Central wins that game, they claim the title, while a loss would force a final game Sunday at noon.
The win was also a special one for ICCC head coach Bo Tjebben, as the former Fort Dodge Senior High standout earned his 100th career win leading the Tritons.
"It was just a total team effort," said Tjebben, who was hit with celebratory water by his players following the win. "We've been telling these girls all year that they can do it; they just had to believe in themselves."
Riley Gilroy, who earned the win with seven innings of six-hit ball vs. the Eagles, drove in the game-winning runs in the seventh with a base hit.
"Riley's been that kind of player all year," Tjebben said. "She is as clutch as they come. When I watched her in high school, all she did was slap and bunt. Once I saw her swinging here, I knew we had to change that.
"And she doesn't really want to be in the circle, but that's the kind of competitor she is. She's willing to do whatever we ask of her to make us the best team possible."
Amber McKinney was 3-for-3 and Olivia Harmon had two hits and scored two runs vs. Kirkwood. Iowa Central scored first in the top of the third, but the Eagles quickly answered back with a tying run in the bottom half.
The score remained that way until the seventh when Gilroy delivered, recording the final out after Kirkwood cut the deficit to one and still had the tying run on base.
"We've never been in this position since I took over," Tjebben said. "We have all three of our pitchers ready to go. We just need to come out with the same confidence and believe that we can do it Saturday that we had (Friday)."
Taylor Lee struck out six to earn the win vs. Ellsworth, as Iowa Central erased a 2-0 deficit with five runs in the first and second innings. Part of that came on a Jori Hajek home run, as the former Humboldt standout drove in two.
Harmon and Gilroy each had four hits and scored two runs, with Gilroy driving in four.
The Tritons have now won three of four and 14 of 17 overall. They were swept by Kirkwood earlier this year in a four-game set at home.
If Iowa Central wins regionals, they would host the winner of the Region 13 tournament at Rogers Park in the North Plains A District Tournament May 12-13. The NJCAA Tournament is scheduled for May 23-27 in Spartanburg, S.C.
In the Region XI-B Tournament, 14th-ranked North Iowa Area downed Northeast, 2-1, and No. 17 Des Moines Area topped Iowa Lakes in eight innings, 5-4. Those games are being played in Mason City.