ESTHERVILLE, IOWA -- The Ellsworth softball team made sure the trip back to Iowa Falls was a lot happier with the way the Panthers responded in the final game of a four-game series with Iowa Lakes CC. After dropping the first three games of the set with the Lakers -- the third loss by a single run -- ECC exploded for 10 runs in the 1st inning of Monday's second game and went on to rout the Lakers, 18-4. That came after ILCC escaped with a 4-3 victory in the opening game and a Sunday sweep by scores of 8-0 and 9-3.
Chloe Roberts was one of the offensive stars when Ellsworth crushed Iowa Lakes, smashing two homers and a double and knocking in seven runs. Teammates Chelsea Buck and Mya Mathes also went deep for the Panthers. Ally Sparks and Mathes had three RBI-games and Gintare Paskocimaite knocked in two apiece. Mathes had three hits and Paskocimaite and Kailey Becker each had two. Leadoff batter Kaysee Dale along with Grace Gordon scored three runs. The Panthers pounded out 14 hits and also drew nine walks and took advantage of seven ILCC errors. ECC ran wild on the bases with Dale swiping three and Gordon two of the team's seven steals. Cheyanne Collins was the beneficiary of all the offense, evening her season record at 3-3 by scattering 10 hits and striking out five in the complete-game effort.
ECC's Delaney Vetter blanked Iowa Lakes through the first four innings in the series' first game before the home team put six runs on the board in the bottom of the 5th and added two more in the next inning. The Panthers were limited to three hits -- two by Paskocimaite and one by Gwen Hovorka. Sparks relieved Vetter in the 5th inning and finished the game in the circle.
Iowa Lakes got three runs in the 1st and 3rd innings in Sunday's game one. The first five batters in the ECC order -- Dale, Paskocimaite, Buck, Hovorka and Sparks -- had hits and Becker had the other one. Half of the six hits went for extra bases, a double by Buck, a triple by Hovorka and a home run by Sparks. Collins and Roberts divided the pitching duties with each working three innings.
The closest game of the series saw Iowa Lakes plate four in the 1st inning in Monday's opener. Ellsworth chipped away with runs in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings, but came up a run short. Vetter bounced back with a better outing, allowing just six hits and fanning five. ECC outhit the Lakers 7-6. Dale and Maggie Braniff had a pair of hits and Buck, Mathes and Roberts also had one. The runs were scored by Dale, Buck and Roberts.
The season record for the Panthers is 7-9 and they'll take that mark into a doubleheader against Northeast (Neb.) at home on Wednesday. Iowa Central CC comes to Iowa Falls for twinbills Friday and Saturday.