KANSAS CITY, KANSAS -- The Ellsworth softball team didn't let the disappointment of a one-run loss in the first game of Monday's doubleheader with Metropolitan CC keep them from fighting back for a dramatic comeback victory in game two. The Wolves garnered a 3-2 win in the opener, halting an Ellsworth rally a run short in the 7th inning. But the Panthers stormed back with a season-high in runs and hits in the following game, using a 5-run 7th inning to tie the score and then pushing across the game-winning score in the top of the 8th to gain a split in the twinbill with a 16-15 decision. Meghan Danielson drove in the game-winner.
The first three hitters in the ECC lineup -- Grace Gordon, Bre Howard and Gintare Paskocimaite -- combined to go 9-for-14 with 10 RBIs and 7 runs scored. But the trio got lots of help up and down the order with 5 other players getting multi-hit games. Howard had 4 hits, Paskocimaite, Meghan Danielson and Maggie Braniff all got 3, and Lauren Brennan, Alejandra Rodriguez and Gordon added 2 hits each. In addition to Gordon and Paskocimaite, Brennan, Danielson and Braniff scored twice and Danielson and Braniff put 2 RBIs with their 3-hit games. There were 6 extra-base hits that included 2 doubles by Danielson and one apiece for Paskocimaite and Braniff, a triple by Howard and a Paskocimaite home run. The Panthers used four pitchers before Delaney Vetter, who had suffered a tough-luck loss in game one, came on in relief and shut the door once the Panthers tied the score in the 7th inning. Vetter did not give up a hit or a run in her 2 innings and whiffed 5. Cheyanne Collins, Asa Kesinger, Brennan and Jocelyn Hartley also saw action in the circle for ECC.
Ellsworth had two big innings, scoring 6 runs in the 2nd and 5 more in the top of the 7th after they went into that inning trailing 15-10. The Wolves exploded for 8 runs in the 2nd and added 4 in the 5th to increase their advantage to 14-8 after 5. The Panthers, though, battled from behind and notched the victory. With the international tie-breaker being used ECC began the 8th inning with Lauren Abram on 2nd base. She went to 3rd on a pitch in the dirt, then came home on a sacrifice fly by Danielson. Vetter made that run stand up by retiring the Wolves in the bottom of the 8th.
The first contest Monday was scoreless until Metropolitan tallied a run the 4th. ECC tied it at 1-1 in the 5th, then MCC took the lead with a 2-run 5th. Ellsworth got one run back in the top of the 7th but the comeback attempt ended there. Paskocimaite rapped out a pair of hits and scored both runs, driven in by run-scoring hits from Brennan and Allyson Sparks. Rodriguez also had a couple of hits and Nevaeh Dice one. Vetter, who was knocked out early in her outing against Kansas City Kansas on Sunday, bounced back with a strong effort, giving up only 3 runs and striking out 5. The sophomore right-hander was clutch in gaining the victory in the second game.
The Panthers will play at home for the first time this spring when they take on North Platte (Neb.) on Thursday afternoon in a doubleheader starting at 1:00. Those are the first of 8 straight home games for ECC, who will host Dakota County-Bottineau (N.D.) on Friday and then NIACC Sunday and Monday. All three of those dates will also be doubleheaders.