IOLA, KANSAS -- Ellsworth CC and Allen County CC divided 4 games in a series in Kansas over the weekend.  ECC won 9-7 and lost 8-7 on Saturday, then were defeated 6-2 and won 3-2 Sunday.  The Panthers are 5-6 after the 3 weeks of the spring season.

In taking the first game of the series, Ellsworth was behind 7-5 after Allen County put together a 6-run 3rd inning.  The Panthers had back-to-back 2-run innings in the 4th and 5th to pull out the victory.  Brandon Weigel had 4 RBIs and Jose Roche 2 for ECC, and both homered and scored 2 times.  Tanner Short and Jean Melean doubled and had 2 hits apiece.  Brock Adamson started on the mound for Ellsworth and was knocked out in the 2nd inning, charged with all 7 runs.  Justin Roitman, Alex Stewart and Casey Clair held off Allen County, combining for 4 1/3 shutout innings in relief while allowing just 2 hits.  Roitman earned the win and Clair got the save.

A 5-run rally in the top of the 7th in the nightcap came up a run short.  Leadoff hitter Gabriel Monosmith produced 3 hits, including a home run, and Weigel slammed his 2nd homer of the day.  Melean doubled and Riley Schrader drove in 2 runs.  Luke Greth, Luke Kalhorn, Jake English and Carter Arends did the pitching for ECC.

Sunday's first game saw Tanner Short get 3 of the Panthers' 6 hits.  Monosmith and Schrader scored the runs which were driven in by Short and Melean.  Monosmith, Short and Roche each had a 2-base hit.  Boston Doeschot went the first 4 innings as the starter and Roitman, English and Karter Beving worked out of the bullpen.  Allen County scored 5 of its 6 runs in the 5th inning.

The Panthers eked out a victory in the final game of the series, overcoming a 2-0 deficit with 3 runs in the top of the 6th.  Doeschot had 2 RBIs and Luke Saxton 1.  Short, Weigel and Schrader -- hitters 3-thru-5 in the linep -- scored a run each.  The pitching of Luke Christensen, Jaxson Cornett, Stewart and Clair didn't give up an earned run and just 4 hits.  Cornett got the win and Clair saved his 3rd game of the season.

Ellsworth goes to Missouri for 4 games with State Fair CC next Saturday and Sunday.