JOPLIN, Mo. - Wet playing conditions at the Carthage (Mo.) Softball Complex has forced the relocation of the sixth-annual Crowder College Bash scheduled for Saturday and Sunday to the Joplin Athletic Complex.
Five of the 12 teams scheduled to participate in the two-day event appear in the National Junior College Athletic Association weekly national softball poll. No. 2 ranked Butler (Kan.) Community College is joined by No. 11 rated Iowa Western Community College, No. 20 host Crowder College and No. 22 Northeastern A&M. Kirkwood, Iowa is ranked No. 6 in Division II.
The Butler Lady Grizzlies of El Dorado, Kan., enter the bash with a 23-1 season record while the Iowa Western Lady Rievers are 10-6 overall and the Crowder College Lady Roughriders stand 12-7 on the year and the NEO Lady Norse are 14-4 entering Friday's 4 p.m. double-header with Southeastern Iowa on the NEO diamond.
The Lady Norse remained undefeated with an 8-0 record in the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference on Thursday with an 11-9 and 5-0 double-header sweep over Eastern State College in Wilburton.
The Joplin Athletic Complex is located at 3301 West First Street.
First round action in the bash on Saturday starts at 9 a.m. with Indian Hills of Centerville, Iowa (2-11) facing Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa (9-20) on field one, Iowa Western versus MCC-Maple Woods, Mo. (0-8) on field three and Kirkwood College of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (4-2) against Carl Albert State College (5-9) on field four.
Games scheduled for 11 a.m. Indian Hills against Maple Woods on field one, Iowa Western versus Crowder an field three and Kirkwood against NEO on field four.
Starting at 1 p.m. Carl Albert faces Three Rivers College of Poplar Bluff, Mo. (12-7) on field one, NEO faces Butler on field three and Crowder meets Southeastern Iowa of Burlington, Iowa (0-4) on field four.
The 3 p.m. games Saturday feature Three Rivers against Indian Hills on field one, Iowa Western versus Buther on field three and Northern-Tonkawa playing Southeastern Iowa on field four.
Games starting at 5 p.m. finds Kirkwood facing Three Rivers on field one, Butler against Northern-Tonkawa on field three and Carl Albert versus Maple Woods on field four.
NEO will play Southeastern Iowa on field one at 7 p.m. Saturday to conclude the first round.
Final round action on Sunday starts at 9 a.m. with Indian Hills versus Crowder on field one, Iowa Western against NEO on field two, Southeastern Iowa versus Three Rivers on field three and Kirkwood against Butler on field four.
Starting at 11 a.m. Indian Hills battles NEO on field one, Iowa Western vs Three Rivers on field two, Southeastern Iowa against Carl Albert on field three and Kirkwood versus Northern-Tonkawa on field four.
Two games at 1 p.m. Sunday find Northern-Tonkawa against Maple Woods on field one and Carl Albert versus Butler on field three.
The Crowder Bash concludes at 3 p.m. with the Lady Riders facing Maple Woods on field one.
