The adult summer softball league was cut a little short this year — for good reason. The outfields at the Ellsworth Sports Complex received irrigation systems.

“It makes things safer as far as the playing area,” Ellsworth Recreation Director Ron Tenbrink said. “The ground isn’t as hard and the grass is thicker. Without any moisture, the Bermuda dries out and the ground becomes hard.”

In mid-July, David Hamel from Done Right Landscape and Irrigation trenched the outfields.

Prior to adding irrigation, Tenbrink relied on Mother Nature’s watering schedule to water the outfields.

Yet, when he embarked on improvements to the infields, he knew it was time to address the outfields.

“Like a golf course, appearance matters,” Tenbrink said. “People like to come and play a nice facility.

“It always seems like wherever I go, they have nice outfields. I was like ‘why can’t that be us?’” He applied for and received a $25,000 grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation for the improvements. The roughly $24,000 infield project to install new redshell was paid for with local donations and municipal support.

The infield project was completed this summer and the outfield project wrapped up mid-August.

“We overseeded those trench areas,” Tenbrink said. “We’ve just been doing our watering. With Bermuda, heat and water has done wonders, it has filled in nicely.

“There hasn’t been any activity on it; there won’t be until next spring when the high school season starts.

“The project is complete. I think the community will enjoy the improvements that were made.”