LINDSBORG, KANSAS -- After starting their season the weekend before with four games in Kansas, the Ellsworth baseball team went back to the Sunflower State this past weekend and garnered their first two victories of the year. Playing on Bethany College's home diamond, the Panthers won Saturday's game against the Bethany JV, 13-3, pounding out 15 hits, and then split a Sunday doubleheader, winning 3-2 before dropping a 7-3 decision in game two.
The Panthers did all of the scoring Saturday in two innings, erupting for seven runs in the 4th inning and adding six more in the 8th.
Victor Lara collected three hits and teammates Trey Morris, Zeb Wede, Fabian Dumey and Kainoa Torres each had two. Javier Melendez, Morris, Torres and Jake Kostenbauer all scored twice. Dumey, Lara and Kostenbauer had two RBIs apiece and the top five hitters in the ECC lineup -- Bryce Hall, Melendez, Morris, Carlos Aranda and Wede -- all drove in a run. Kostenbauer's two doubles were the only extra base hits. Zach Carlsen started on the hill for the Panthers and allowed eight hits and two unearned runs in his five innings of work while striking out five. Broderick Bittle, Elio Narvaez and Alex Bantam all pitched one ininng of relief. Bittle struck out the side and Narvaez and Bantam both had two Ks while working a 1-2-3 inning.
Sunday's first game was scoreless until the Panthers pushed across a run in the top of the 6th. After Bethany took the lead with a two-run bottom of the 6th, ECC tied it at 2-all in the 7th and won the game with a run in the 8th. Aranda and Wede had two hits each and Hall and Melendez both doubled. The runs were scored by Hall, Morris and Edgar Andujar and driven in by Lara and Ezequiel Balderas. Charlie Jaeger gave the Panthers another good starting pitching effort with four shutout inninigs and five strikeouts. In relief, Isaac Rohde allowed two runs, one earned, in his inning, Narvaez had another one-inning scoreless frame and Cooper Johnson picked up the win out of the bullpen, firing two perfect innings with four Ks.
The Panthers' attempt to finish off the sweep came up short in the nightcap Sunday. They scored single runs in the 4th, 6th and 7th. Bethany's big inning was a four-run 6th. The offense was held to four hits, all singles, and they were picked up by Melendez, Aranda, Torres and Kostenbauer. Melendez, Kostenbauer and Tate Walker scored and Aranda drove in a pair of runs and Torres one. Jason Moist finished off a weekend when ECC got strong starting pitching efforts, allowing only two hits and one earned run in his five innings while fanning five. Bittle and Bantam both pitched in relief.
Ellsworth will play five road games in Iowa this week -- a contest in Lamoni against the Graceland JV on Tuesday and a four-game set with Southwestern CC in Creston this weekend.