IOWA FALLS, IOWA -- Celebrating playing on their home diamond for the first time this spring, the Ellsworth softball team had an offensive explosion in taking down North Platte (Neb.), 20-14 and 11-6, in a doubleheader at Legion Field Thursday.
Game one saw the Panthers club 15 hits and receive 18 walks as ECC erased an early North Platte lead with a couple of 7-run innings. They got 7 in the bottom of the 1st following the Knights' 3-run 1st, then plated 7 in the 3rd in an inning that included a 3-run homer by Lauren Brennan. ECC was up 16-14 after 5 innings and put the contest away with a 4-spot in the 6th. Gintare Paskocimaite doubled twice and tripled and drove in 5 runs for Ellsworth. Five other Panthers had multi-RBI games. Brennan, Allyson Sparks and Meghan Danielson all knocked in 3 and Nevaeh Dice and Maggie Braniff drove in two apiece. Brennan and Braniff scored 4 runs each, Bre Howard and Danielson 3 and Paskocimaite and Grace Gordon 2. Of the 18 walks handed out to Ellsworth hitters, Brennan, Sparks and Gordon all drew 3. Delaney Vetter started in the circle and went 2 1/3 innings. Brennan got the win in relief, allowing 4 earned runs.
The second game, which was called early because of darkness, was more of the same offensively for ECC. Even though they were outhit they took advantage of 12 walks to score in double digits for the 3rd game in a row. Paskocimaite again triggered the offense with a double and triple, 3 runs and 2 RBIs, giving the sophomore 7 runs driven in for the day. Brennan, Asa Kesinger, Gordon and Lauren Abram had the other hits and Howard and Brennan both scored a pair of runs. Gordon and Brennan had 2 RBI-games. The dozen walks included 2 each by Paskocimaite, Howard, Sparks, Kesinger and Gordon. Jocelyn Hartley, Abbigail Harding and Howard handled the pitching with Harding the winner.
After scoring 30 runs in their first 7 games of the season, the Panthers scored 46 in the next 3, all victories.
ECC, 5-and-5, now opens ICCAC play with home doubleheaders against NIACC on Sunday and Monday.