By Justin Ites, The Times-Citizen

Estherville, IA – If the Ellsworth Community College baseball team wants to qualify for the Region XI Tournament in May, the Panthers must take care of business versus the teams in the lower tier of the standings.

ECC passed that test on the road in Estherville this past weekend, as they swept last-place Iowa Lakes in a three-game set.

The Panthers rode a strong pitching performance from Jordan Dahlof to in game one on Saturday, 5-0. They followed that with a pair of double-digit run offensive performances in securing the sweep with 11-2 and 12-9 victories in games two and three.

The host Lakers (5-30, 1-18) entered the series with only one conference win in 16 games.

Dahlof was in complete control during the series opener. He threw all seven innings and allowed just three hits while striking out nine. 

At the plate, Boston Doeschot drove in four of ECC's five runs and was 2-3 with a double. Connor MacAlpine knocked in the other run and collected one hit. 

The Panthers (23-18, 10-10) plated four runs in the fourth and added an insurance run in the sixth to account for all of the scoring.

During game two, the visitors scored runs in six of the nine innings played, including a three-run sixth and a four-spot in the ninth.

Brandon Weigel, Eric McGill, Dillon Carlson and Doeschot all collected 2-RBI apiece and added multi-hit games.

Brock Adamson earned the win on the mound after completing six full innings. He allowed just two runs on two hits while striking out 10. Drew Dake, Casey Clair and TJ Eikenberry filled the remainder of the innings by recording three outs apiece.

ECC broke out the broom following the 12-9 win in game three. The offense started with a bang in the top of the first, as the Panthers scored six runs to take charge. They added three in the fourth and three in the eighth.

In the final game, both Boston Doeschot and Maddox O'Connor went 3-5 from the plate. Brandon Weigel added a home run in the series-sweeping effort.

The Panthers are currently fifth in the Region XI DII standings, and a top six finish is required to qualify for the postseason tournament. Northeast CC is sixth with a 10-8 league mark, with two fewer games played so far. DMACC is also lurking in a tight race with a 9-10 record in conference outings. The Panthers hold a current three-game lead on North Iowa Area, the current first team out of the postseason picture.

For more Times-Citizen coverage of Ellsworth athletics: https://www.timescitizen.com/sports/ecc