IOWA FALLS, IOWA -- The Ellsworth Panthers used eight home runs and some clutch bullpen work to take three-of-four games from DMACC over the weekend at Cadet Field. ECC swept the Saturday action, 6-5 and 7-2, and after losing a pitcher's duel, 3-1, to start play on Sunday, they won a slugfest, 15-11, to clinch the series win.
The opening game Saturday went to extra innings before the Panthers pushed across a run in the bottom of the 8th for the victory. The game-winner came after the Bears tied the score at 5-all with a pair of runs in the 7th. The 3-4-5 hitters in the Ellsworth lineup -- Trey Morris, Ybrahim Quevedo and Bryce Hall -- each had two hits. Quevedo's were a triple and homer and Hall supplied a double and a home run. Four pitchers got work for ECC. Gavin Busby started and lasted 4 2/3 innings. Isaac Rohde, Cooper Johnson and Matt Nolan came out of the bullpen, with Nolan claiming the win with a scoreless inning.
The nightcap was knotted up at 2 before Ellsworth plated two runs in the 5th and then got a Carlos Aranda 3-run homer in the next inning to cement the victory. Morris and Hall also went deep. Aranda wound up with four RBIs and three runs scored. The mound duties were divided between Charlie Jaeger and Elio Narvaez. Narvaez was stellar, giving up just one hit and no runs in 3 1/3 innings with a walk and five punchouts and earned the win.
ECC was held to a lone 5th inning run on a run-scoring single by Aranda in the first contest Sunday. The Panthers managed just three hits. Zeb Wede and Victor Lara had singles to go along with Aranda's. Starter Miguel Baez accounted for five innings and Jason Moist finished with two scoreless frames.
Javier Melendez's grand slam was the big blow in a 7-run 3rd inning that was key in the series finale. Quevedo finished things off with a three-run blast in the 8th inning of the 9-inning affair. Aranda also homered and was 3-for-5 and scored three times, Quevedo went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs and Melendez knocked in five runs. TJ Truso chipped in three hits and two runs, Morris two runs and two RBIs and Fabian Dumey two runs and an RBI. Five ECC pitchers combined to strike out 14 batters. Zach Carlsen started and Rohde, Nolan, Johnson and Morris all pitched in relief. Carlsen earned the victory with his five innings and he whiffed eight.
The Panthers will play host to Kirkwood CC in a doubleheader on Thursday.