CRESTON/OTTUMWA, IOWA -- The ECC softball squad went to southern Iowa to get its spring season underway, playing two games Friday in Creston and two more on Saturday in Ottumwa.  The Panthers were swept by Kansas City Kansas CC in the first two games by scores of 15-1 and 5-0 and then recorded their first win of the season at Indian Hills CC Saturday, beating State Fair (Mo.) CC, 6-3, before dropping a 14-2 decision to host Indian Hills in the late game.

The Panthers tallied a run in their first at-bat of the campaign in the opening game with KCK when Grace Gordon drove in Kaysee Dale.  But ECC couldn't score again in the doubleheader.  Dale, Ally Sparks and Chloe Roberts had hits in game one.  Cheyanne Collins started in the circle for Ellsworth and pitched four innings.  Lili Ruiz went one inning in relief.  KCK jumped on ECC with seven runs in the 2nd inning and added six more in the 5th.

Dale had the only ECC hit in the second game and she also stole a base.  The winners pushed across three runs in the 3rd and added two more in the 7th.  Chloe Roberts started and went four innings, allowing only three hits and three runs.  Delaney Vetter followed Roberts with three innings of work, giving up four hits and a pair of runs with no walks and three Ks.

Vetter started the State Fair contest and was superb.  The freshman gave up a 3-run homer in the 3rd inning, but shutout the Roadrunners after that.  She went the distance with 10 strikeouts and no walks.  The Ellsworth offense came to life with three runs to tie the score in the 4th inning, then went ahead with a couple of runs in the 5th and added an insurance score in the 6th.  Sparks, Chelsea Buck, Kailey Becker and Meghan Danielson all had two-hit games and Dale and Mya Mathes each had one hit.  Buck scored twice, Danielson doubled and drove in four runs and Roberts had two RBIs.

Buck ripped a two-run double to account for the Ellsworth scoring in the Indian Hills game.  Dale also doubled and had two hits and Mathes and Dale scored on Buck's two-base hit in the 3rd inning.  Sparks began the game for ECC and Collins and Roberts were used out of the bullpen.