KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI -- The Ellsworth CC baseball team, playing for the first time under new head coach Kirk Clark, played 4 games in the Kansas City area this past weekend to open the 2023 spring season. The Panthers won one game and saw their opponents rally to win twice while taking on Metropolitan CC and Highland CC two times each. On Saturday, Metropolitan scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the 7th to claim a 5-4 victory, then Highland plated 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning for a 6-4 win. Ellsworth got its 1st win Sunday by beating Metropolitan, 8-7, before the weekend ended with a 6-1 loss to Highland.
The opening game started well for the Panthers, who took a 4-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings. Metropolitan tallied single runs in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings and then scored the pair of unearned runs in the final inning for the win. Jean Melean tripled and Tanner Short homered for ECC. Jose Roche knocked in 2 runs and Kristian Crespo had a 2-hit game. The top 4 batters in the lineup -- Melean, Short, Sergio Natera and Jose Valentin -- each scored a run. ECC used 4 pitchers. Connor Cox started and went 3 innings. Hadniel Payamps, Carter Arends and Logan Fragomeni all worked in relief. They combined to allow just 4 hits and 2 earned runs.
Ellsworth led 3-2 going into the bottom the 6th against Highland, gave up 4 runs, and could only get one of them back in the top of the 7th. Of ECC's 4 hits, only one was for extra bases, a double by Natera. Valentin, Roche and Dariel Colon had the other hits. Natera and Valentin scored 2 runs apiece and Crespo and Colon each had a sacrifice fly. Melean, Roche and Crespo stole bases. Jaden Morris started on the mound and lasted 3 innings. Will Johnson and Jake English pitched out of the bullpen.
Four runs in the 7th inning permitted ECC to erase a 6-4 deficit and notch the victory in Sunday's opener against Metropolitan. Seven of the Panthers' 14 hits were for extra bases: doubles by Roche, Short, Crespo, Colon and Luke Saxton, a triple by Melean and Short's 2nd homer of the weekend. Roche knocked in 3 runs and Short and Saxton 2 apiece. Melean scored 3 runs from the leadoff spot. Sophomore Derihan Suero went 5 innings as the starter and allowed only 4 hits while striking out 7. Memphis Moore got the win in relief. He pitched the 6th inning, then Fragomeni registered the save with one inning of relief.
The ECC offense was held to just 7 hits and a run in the finale. The hits included 2 by Crespo and the first of the season for Angel Rivera. Crespo scored the lone run and it was driven in by Melean. George Hansen, Kaden Stewart, Carter Arends and Jake English did the pitching. Hansen started and was tagged with the loss.
Coach Clark summed up the 4 games by saying, "I think we played really well for 6 innings every game. We just need a better mentality late in close games. The game we won was great because every position player was involved with pinch hits, defensive replacements and pinch running."
The Panthers go back to Missouri next weekend for 4 games with State Fair CC in Sedalia.