IOWA FALLS, IOWA -- The Ellsworth CC softball team opened their home schedule against Iowa Community College Athletic Conference opposition with four games against Iowa Western CC. On Saturday, the Panthers picked up a 5-3 win in the second game of a twinbill behind a strong pitching performance from Delaney Vetter after the Reivers won game one, 11-5. Iowa Western took both contests on Sunday, 7-5 and 10-1.
Vetter's work in the second game of the series included a complete-game effort, allowing seven hits and three earned runs with five strikeouts. ECC scored three times in the first inning, then snapped an early 3-3 tie with a run in the bottom of the 2nd and tacked on an insurance score in the 5th. Vetter made the runs stand up in pushing her season record to 3-0. Ally Sparks drove in two of the ECC runs and Kaysee Dale and Gwen Hovorka also had RBIs. Hovorka, Sparks and Kailey Becker all had doubles and Dale and Becker stole bases. The Ellsworth hits came from Dale, Chloe Roberts, Hovorka, Sparks and Becker.
In Saturday's opener, Iowa Western jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings. The Panthers tried to fight back with a run in the 5th and added four in the 6th. Meghan Danielson's two RBIs led the offense with Chelsea Buck and Becker each knocking in a run. Grace Gordon scored twice and Mya Mathes, Sparks and Bri Howard also had runs scored. Mathes contributed a pair of hits and Maggie Braniff and Gordon had hits as well. Roberts started in the circle and worked six innings. Cheyanne Collins finished with a shutout inning of relief.
Ellsworth tallied three runs in the 1st inning in the early game Sunday, the second game in a row they had a three-run 1st. However, IWCC answered with four in the 2nd. After ECC tied it at 5-all in the 3rd, it was scoreless until the visitors scored single runs in the 5th and 7th. Dale was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, and the RBIs were produced by Buck, Hovorka, Sparks and Becker. Roberts, Buck and Hovorka each had a hit and a run and Sparks had the other ECC hit. Collins pitched all seven innings and only permitted six hits.
Iowa Western claimed the Sunday sweep in a five-inning second game. The Panthers were limited to just three hits -- a double by Dale and singles from Roberts and Mathes. Dale scored the lone run in the 1st, marking the 3rd straight game the Panthers scored in their first at-bat. The ECC pitching duo of Sparks and Vetter was victimized by six errors; only three of IW's 10 runs were earned.
Next up for Ellsworth (4-6) is a trip to Marshalltown for a doubleheader on Wednesday followed by four games at Iowa Lakes next Saturday and Sunday.