MASON CITY, IOWA -- A baseball doubleheader that featured outstanding pitching for both teams resulted in Ellsworth and NIACC dividing a pair of ICCAC contests on Thursday.  ECC held off a last-inning NIACC rally to take the opener, 3-2, and the Trojans plated the game-winning run in the bottom of the 9th in game two to gain the split, 1-0.

The combination of Derihan Suero and Colton Sanders, in game one, allowed the Panthers to snap NIACC's 8-game winning streak.  Suero threw 5 1/3 strong innings, allowing only 4 hits and an unearned run with 4 Ks.  Sanders gave up another unearned run in the bottom of the 7th, but notched the save, permitting just one hit in his 1 2/3 innings of relief.  ECC got single runs in the 2nd, 3rd and 7th innings.  Of their 7 hits, Elio Narvaez had 2 and Zeb Wede, Javier Melendez, Jose Valentine, JT Kostenbauer and Sergio Natera all had one apiece.  The runs were scored by Wede, Valentine and Alexis Ruiz and driven in by Melendez and Fabian Dumey.

Jason Moist gave the Panthers another solid start in the nightcap, shutting out the Trojans on 5 hits in his 6 innings of work.  Moist fanned 5 and walked 3.  Ethan Whitham allowed the 9th-inning run.  He was charged with 3 hits in 2 1/3 innings.  ECC was blanked on 4 hits -- doubles by Wede and Natera and singles from Bryce Hall and Melendez.

Ellsworth and Southwestern will play a 3-game series this weekend in Iowa Falls.