MASON CITY, IOWA -- A doubleheader split with the NIACC Trojans concluded the regular-season schedule for the Ellsworth baseball team on Wednesday.  The Panthers took the first game, 7-2, and NIACC claimed the second contest by the same score.

ECC used a 5-run 2nd inning to take control in the opener and added a couple of runs in the 4th.  Carlos Aranda and Kainoa Torres homered for the Panthers, both two-run shots.  It was the 9th of the year for Aranda and number-five for Torres.  Ryan Boothe also knocked in a pair of runs.  Ybrahim Quevedo and Victor Lara had two-hit games and TJ Truso scored twice.  Ellsworth also got hits by Javier Melendez and Trey Morris in the victory.  Elio Narvaez started on the mound and went three innings.  Charlie Jaeger followed with three innings and Cooper Johnson fanned two in closing out the win in the 7th.  ECC pitchers combined for 10 punchouts.

The nine-inning second game was tied at 2-all before NIACC broke the deadlock with two runs in the 5th and they added three in the 8th.  The Panthers were limited to six hits -- doubles by Torres and Truso and singles from Lara, Alexis Ruiz, Edgar Andujar and Nicolas Boscan.  Truso and Andujar scored the two Ellsworth runs.  Zeb Wede, Andrew Wurster and Andujar all had stolen bases.  The Panthers used Simor Victoriano, William Figueroa and Ezequiel Balderas to do the pitching.  The trio allowed only five hits but walked six.  

With the regular-season finished Ellsworth opens the postseason Region XI tournament in a best-of-3 series at Northeast (Neb.) CC this weekend.  Game one is Saturday afternoon at 1:00 and the second contest is at noon Sunday.  If a third game is necessary it would be played after game two.  The winners of the first-round series in the region move on to the second round which will be played in Cedar Rapids May 14-16.  Ellsworth went 1-3 against Northeast in the regular season.