BELLEVILLE — In their final regular season game of the year, the Bearcat softball team took two wins against Republic County May 9 on the road. The first game ended 9-3 and the second 15-6.

The Cats quickly made their way on base. When seniors Peyton Coonrod and Isabelle Lindsley got on base, senior Makenna Haas knocked a ground ball past first base to send both base runners home. Timing up the pitcher early, the Bearcats scored 3 points in the first inning.

Working to make no errors on defense, Ellsworth made three quick plays. Senior Emma Moore struck out the leadoff batter for the Buffaloes, then the team secured two more consecutive outs to end the first inning with three-upthree- down. The first inning ended with a Bearcat lead of 3-0.

Freshman Reygan Coonrod hit a single to lead off the second inning. Advancing bases on her teammates’ hits, she scored, along with Lindsley later in the inning.

The Cats shut down Republic County from making offensive strides. Moore continued to challenge each batter in the box, striking out another in the second inning. The field, backing up Moore, made plays to make for a short second inning, once again going three-upthree- down. The second inning ended with a score of 5-0.

At the top of the third, Ellsworth worked to stretch their lead. They scored two more runs then returned to the field and allowed the Buffs none.

After the third inning, the Cats found base runners, but were unable to make it home. Republic County scored their first point in the sixth inning, making the score 7-1.

In the seventh and final inning, senior Paityn Tenbrink drove a home run over center field. With Haas on base, both players scored. Tenbrink said her mindset allows her to bat at her best ability.

“One thing that really allowed me to hit my home run is going to the plate and clearing my head,” Tenbrink said. “Really focusing on what our coaches drill every day in practice made a great impact on my home run.”

After Republic County scored two runs in the seventh inning, the game ended 9-3 with a Bearcat victory.

Starting the second game, Peyton Coonrod singled to center field. When Haas hit a single over second base, Coonrod scored the first run of the game. At the bottom of the inning, the Buffs scored one run, tying up the score at 1-1.

The Cats struggled to get anything going in the second inning. They were unable to score, and Republic County put another point on the board. The Bearcats trailed 2-1 at the end of the inning.

While they struggled in the first two innings, Ellsworth took off in the third. With 10 singles, a double and numerous walks, the Cats scored 11 runs. The Buffaloes scored two in the bottom of the inning, making the score 12-4.

Both teams slowly scored a few more runs throughout the remainder of the game, however, The Bearcats played clean defense, not allowing Republic County to close the score gap. While there was no run-rule, the Cats ended with a commanding win 15-6.

The wins against Republic County put Ellsworth’s league record at 4-6.

The team competed in the first round of the regional tournament at Great Bend May 13, but results were not available by press time.

In preparation for the post-season, the Cats know what it will take to find success.

“One thing that really sticks out to me when we talk about how our team is prepared for regionals and having success in Hoisington is the grit from each one of us,” Tenbrink said. “The key to success on Monday (at Great Bend) is making sure we are getting our job done, no matter what it is, and having fun with each other and knowing we don’t give up in any situation.”