By Justin Ites

During Monday's contest at Northeast Community College, Ellsworth Community offense struck for seven runs in the top of the fifth and held on for the 13-9 victory. The hosts won the first two games 9-8 and 11-1.

Offensively, the team produced 16 hits including three-hit performances by Dillon Carlson and Graham Sullivan in the winning contest. Lucas Bruhl drove in four runs and finished with two hits, while Maddox O'Connor left the yard with a home run.

Three ECC pitchers completed the nine-inning game. Zach Halverson tossed the first three and allowed five earned runs on three hits. Tripp Rawlings handled the middle three frames and yielded just two runs while scattering seven hits. Rawlings struck out three batters. Tye Schellhorn finished the game by completing three innings of six-hit baseball. He allowed two earned runs.

NECC (22-15, 5-3) won the first two seven-inning games by scores of 9-8 and 11-1.

During game one, Panther starting pitcher Zander Leick allowed eight earned runs in five innings, but the ECC (12-21, 3-5) rallied to tie the game at 8-8 by plating four runs in the top of the sixth. The hosts won the game by walking off ECC with a solo run in the bottom of the seventh.

Eric McGill was 3-5 with a double and two runs knocked in, while Carlson was 3-4 with an RBI. O'Connor also produced a multi-hit game with two hits and two RBI.

Game two was over early, as NECC scored seven runs in the first inning. ECC starter James Tounsley was unable to get out of the first inning and he didn't record an out. Tounsley gave up the first four runs and walked two before giving way to Reece Cochran.
Offensively, ECC only produced five hits in the game. Jordan Rowe was 2-3 and Carlson drove in the team's only run.

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