CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA -- The Ellsworth softball team had their season come to a close at the Region XI-B tournament when the Panthers were shut out by Iowa Lakes CC, 8-0, on Saturday afternoon.  Ellsworth had bounced back after a 9-1 defeat to eventual champ Kirkwood the day before with a convincing 11-4 victory against Northeast CC earlier on Saturday.  

The Panthers drew the top seed, Kirkwood, in their tourney opener and saw the Eagles break open a 2-1 game with 6 runs in the 4th inning.  Lauren Brennan provided the only run for the Panthers with her 8th homer of the season.  That was one of just 5 hits recorded by ECC.  Gintare Paskocimaite had 2 and Breanna Howard and Nevaeh Dice had 1 apiece.  Delaney Vetter started and worked 5 innings in the circle for Ellsworth.  Asa Kesinger finished.

After scoring only 12 runs in their previous 6 games, the Panthers nearly matched that total in an elimination game against Northeast with a pair of runs in the 1st inning, 7 in the 5th and 2 more in the 6th.  The 14-hit attack included 5 doubles, 2 each by Dice and Grace Gordon.  Paskocimaite, Brennan and Gordon all scored twice, Dice had 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Maggie Braniff 2 hits and 2 RBIs.  Lauren Abram contributed a hit, 2 walks, a run and an RBI on a sacrifice fly.  Vetter's complete game included just 6 hits allowed and 7 Ks.

But the Panthers' offense was stymied again in the Iowa Lakes contest.  Gordon's single was the lone hit and the only other baserunner was Braniff who drew a walk.  Vetter, Cheyanne Collins and Kesinger did the pitching with Collins tagged with the loss.

ECC ended the 2022 spring season with a 15-34 record.