By Justin Ites, The Times-Citizen
Council Bluffs, IA – The Ellsworth Community College baseball team entered the Region XI Tournament with 31 regular season wins and a realistic chance of competing for the championship versus the other contenders in the conference.
Head coach Kirk Clark had his pitching staff organized to run the team's top two starters - Brock Adamson and Jordan Dahlof - for the first two contests of the double elimination tournament.
But in the span of roughly 12 hours, the Panthers' season came to an abrupt end.
Seeded fourth in the field, ECC opened the tournament on Thursday with an 8-3 loss to five-seed DMACC that sent the team to an elimination game later in the evening. The Panthers did not catch a break regarding it's second opponent, as third-seeded Kirkwood (37-21) was also upset in their first game, losing to six-seed Northeast CC.
That meant the Panthers needed to win against one of the top three squads in Region XI just to make it to day two of the tournament.
In a game that began past 8:30 p.m., the Eagles jumped in front with a pair of three-run innings during the first two frames. Dahlof was chased from the mound after recording just four outs.
While the Panthers (31-25) were able to cut a 6-1 deficit to just 6-5 after three and a half innings, KCC scored the game's next five runs and went on to record an 11-6 win that bumped ECC from the tournament.
Dahlof gave up a pair of homers and six runs (three earned) during his short stay on the mound. Jakob Nachreiner filled in for five innings and stuck out nine batters while giving up six hits, four runs (two earned).
Offensively, the Panthers were led by a three-hit game from Dylan Phelps and Eric McGill, who was 2-4 at the plate with a home run and 2-RBI. In his final game in an ECC uniform, Boston Doeschot was 2-4 with a double.
The Panthers found themselves in the elimination game due to a frustrating start to the tournament. A grand slam by DMACC's Brook Moore in the top of the ninth was the big blast that carried the Bears to an 8-3 win over ECC.
Both teams were deadlocked at 3-3 entering the ninth, but the visitors mounted a rally that started with a walk and single to place two runners on base. An opposite field two-RBI single gave DMACC a 5-3 lead before Panther reliever Luke Greth walked the next hitter to load the bases. Greth was able to get the first out on a strikeout, but Moore broke the game open with a bases clearing round-tripper to left field that gave the Bears an 8-3 lead.
Earlier in the contest, ECC trailed 1-0 entering the fifth inning when Doeschot ripped a solo homer to right-center to tie the game at 1-1.
In the sixth, the Panthers took the lead 3-1 on RBI hits from Bryce Hoskinson and Dylan Carlson.
DMACC (24-28) was able to knot the score at 3-3 after ECC pitcher Jaden Morris walked the first two batters. A wild pitch put both runners into scoring position and an opposite field double allowed both runners to cross the plate.
The win moved the Bears into a Friday game versus top-seed Southeastern Community College.
For more Times-Citizen coverage of Ellsworth athletics: https://www.timescitizen.com/sports/ecc
