IOWA FALLS, IOWA -- The Ellsworth CC baseball team, which had been swinging the bats so well over the previous 20 games, had their offense neutralized by DMACC pitching as the Bears swept a 3-game series on Sunday and Monday.  DMACC won 8-3 and 22-3 in a doubleheader Sunday and then finished off the sweep with an 11-0 whitewashing, only the 2nd time all season that the Panthers had been shut out.

In the opening game of the series, DMACC scored 5 unearned runs in the top of the 8th inning to pull out the victory.  In fact, all 8 of the Bears' runs in the game were unearned.  The tie-breaking rally began after a 2-out error that was followed by a bases-loaded, tie-breaking walk and a grand slam home run.  ECC outhit the Bears, 10-7, and sophomore 1st baseman Jose Valentin crushed his team-leading 13th homer and knocked in 2 runs.  Tanner short doubled and knocked in a run, Dariel Colon singled twice and Sergio Natera and Luke Saxton both scored a run.  Saxton also had a stolen base.

Derihan Suero and Logan Fragomeni shared the pitching duties.  Suero started and lasted 4 2/3 innings and Fragomeni took the loss.

DMACC opened things up in the 2nd game with 12 runs in the 4th inning.  Ellsworth scored their 3 runs in the bottom of that inning with 2 of the runs driven in by Sergio Natera.  He was 3-for-3.  Colon, Kristian Crespo and Nick Chasey scored the ECC runs.  Six pitchers saw action and all six gave up at least 2 runs and surrendered a home run.  Starter Jaden Morris got the loss.

The Bears scored in every inning but the 1st in the final game.  The high-powered ECC offense was held to 2 hits, singles by Chasey and Luke Saxton.  Connor Cox, Kaden Stewart, Memphis Moore and Evan Becker all pitched for the Panthers.

Ellsworth is right back in action in a doubleheader at Northeast (Neb.) on Wednesday.