MILLINGTON, TENNESSEE -- The Ellsworth baseball team ran into some strong competition on their second weekend trip of the season, but did manage to get a victory by beating Bryant & Stratton (WI) College, 5-2, in a Saturday game at USA Baseball Stadium. The Panthers took on Southwestern Illinois College and lost, 9-1, Friday, and dropped a 10-5 tilt with Jackson State (TN) in an early game Saturday before getting blitzed by No. 6 ranked Wabash Valley (IL), 22-0, Sunday.
In the Bryant & Stratton game, B & S got their two runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. ECC started a comeback with single runs in the 2nd and 3rd, then broke a 2-2 tie with 3 runs in the 4th to post the win. Isaac Boley went 3-for-3 and scored two of the Panthers' runs. Edgar Andujar also had two hits along with a run and an RBI. Alexis Ruiz provided a single and a run and Zeb Wede had a hit and RBI. Elio Narvaez drove in the other run and Javier Melendez and JT Kostenbauer also had hits. Three of ECC's runs scored on sacrifice flies -- by Wede, Narvaez and Andujar. Winner Derihan Suero started on the mound and lasted 5 innings while allowing two runs and four walks and striking out 7. Charlie Jaeger worked an inning of relief, then Wede came on to close it out, fanning two in the 7th.
In the meeting with Southwestern Illinois, SWIC had a 5-run 4th inning and a 3-run 5th to run away with the game. Narvaez had both ECC hits and knocked in Melendez with the lone run. Gavin Busby started and went 3 2/3 innings and Jason Moist followed with 2 1/3 ininngs of relief. Moist had 5 Ks in his appearance.
The loss to Jackson State saw Ellsworth jump out to an early 2-0 lead in the 1st inning. JSC got 6 in the 3rd before the Panthers plated 3 in the top of the 5th to shave the lead to 6-5. But Jackson State picked up 3 runs in the bottom of that inning and the Panthers couldn't score again. Narvaez led ECC at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Wede, Jose Valentin, Melendez, Fabian Dumey and Jalen Aguiniga also had hits. Melendez scored twice with the other runs scored by Valentin, Ruiz and Aguiniga. The Panthers used four pitchers -- Edwin De Los Santos, Ethan Whitham, Jonathan Rosado and Jaeger. Rosado and Jaeger combined for two shutout innings with 4 Ks.
The Wabash Valley contest was decided right away when they erupted for 7 runs in the 2nd and 8 more in the 3rd. Their other 7 runs crossed in the 6th. Ellsworth had just two hits, singles from Valentin and Aguiniga. Five pitchers saw action -- Miguel Baez, Colton Sanders, Cade Armstrong, Willian Figueroa and Simon Victoriano, who pitched a shutout inning with a pair of strikeouts.
The Panthers (2-6) have a 4-game series with Johnson County CC in Kansas next weekend, two games both Saturday and Sunday.