Published on May 15, 2025 9:28 am
Last Updated on May 15, 2025 9:29 am
BY MILLIE LANGE
Effingham High School opened the City Softball Series with a 10-5 victory over Effingham St. Anthony Wednesday.
The Hearts struck in the first inning. Jerzi Bierman reached on an error and stole second. She came home on a single by Ryley Engel.
St. Anthony tied in the top of the second. Ava Walton drew a walk and Camille Wines followed with a single and stole second. Walton came home on a wild pitch.
But the Hearts came right back in the bottom of the second, scoring four runs to push into a 5-1 lead. The inning started as Keagyn Koenig was hit by a pitch. Alyssa Martin followed with a single. With one out, Saige Althoff drew a walk. Bierman hit a sacrifice fly that scored a run. Engel drew a walk and Sidney Donaldson followed with a double that scored two runs. Two errors and four walks later, the Hearts were ahead 5-1.
EHS tacked on a single run in the third. With two outs, Althoff singled and stole second. She came home on a double by Bierman and the Hearts led 6-1.
The Bulldogs mounted a four-run rally in the sixth. Addy Rios led off with a single and stole second and third. Lilly Gannaway singled and stole second. Julia Schultz reached base on an error and Walton drew her second walk. Ava Faber doubled and Jackie Vonderheide finished out the hitting in the inning with a single and an RBI. When the dust had cleared, the Bulldogs had pulled within a run at 6-5.
Effingham then decided to put the contest away with a four-run fifth. With one out, Madi Kirk and Althoff produced back-to-back singles. With wo outs, Engel hit a home run and EHS went up 9-5.
Donaldson followed with a single and came home on a double by Natalie Armstrong.
St. Anthony rumbled again in the seventh as Gannaway singled and Walton drew a walk. But the Bulldogs couldn’t get the runs home.
Althoff went the distance on the mound. She gave up six hits, two walks and struck out three.
The two squads will square off today at 4 p.m. St. Anthony will play host.
At Effingham
St. Anthony 010 004 0 — 5- 7-3
Effingham 141 040 x — 10-11-2
WP — Althof. LP — Ruholl.
St. Anthony — Wines, single; Rios, single, double; Gannaway, 2 singles; Faber, double; Vonderheide, single
Effingham — Bierman, double, 1 RBI; Engel, single, home run, 4 RBI; Donaldson, single, 2 doubles, 2 RBI; Armstrong, double; Harvey, single; Martin, single; Kirk, 2 singles
At Louisville
Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg’s Kendra Hayes threw a no-hitter as the Hatchets blanked North Clay/Clay City by an 11-0 count Wednesday.
Hayes went five innings, giving up no runs on no hits, one walk and striking out 10.
Meanwhile, the Hatchets banged out 16 hits led by Samantha Hayes with a single, two doubles and three RBI. Ellie Wittenberg added a single, double and an RBI while Zaida Wascher had two singles and two RBI. Alaira Friese and Katelyn VonBehrens added two singles and an RBI each. Alexis Gee finished with a single and two RBI and Clarissa Johnson a single and an RBI.
At Louisville
Windsor/Stew-Stras 421 40 — 11-16-1
North Clay/Clay City 000 00 — 0- 0-1
WP — K. Hayes. LP — Snell.
Windsor/Stew-Stras — K. Hayes, single; Friese, 2 singles, 1 RBI; S. Hayes, single, 2 doubles, 3 RBI; Johnson, single, 1 RBI; Wittenberg, single, double, 1 RBI; Holland, single; Wascher, 2 singles, 2 RBI; K. VonBehrens, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Gee, single, 2 RBI; Carey, single
North Clay/Clay City — no hits
At Mulberry Grove
Mulberry Grove broke through in the fourth inning with a single run then tacked on three more in the fifth to finish with a 4-1 victory over Altamont Wednesday.
Both teams had four hits but Altamont finished with three errors.
Altamont was led in hitting by Sophia Long with a double and an RBI, Madison Tonn with a double and Cecilia Pearcy with two singles.
Lily Johnson was the star on the day for the Aces. She tossed a four-hitter with three walks while striking out 12. She also was an ace at bat with a single, home run and three RBI. Taylor Stone added a solo homer.
Mulberry Grove picked up its fourth straight victory and stands at 12-5 overall.
At Mulberry Grove
Altamont 000 000 1 — 1-4-3
Mulberry Grove 000 130 x — 4-4-0
WP — Johnson. LP — Long.
Altamont — C. Pearcy, 2 singles; Tonn, double; Long, double, 1 RBI
Mulberry Grove — Li. Johnson, single home run, 3 RBI; Stone, home run, 1 RBI; Earnest, single
At Pinckneyville
Pinckneyville blanked South Central, 10-0 in five innings Wednesday.
The Cougars finished with only two hits, a double by Maddie Peddicord and a single by Kinlee Thompson.
The Panthers, meanwhile, had nine hits and were aided by five South Central errors.
At Pinckneyville
South Central 000 00 — 0-2-5
Pinckneyville 120 61 — 10-9-0
WP — Pyatt. LP — Johnson.
South Central — Peddicord, single; Thompson, single
Pinckneyville — Cleland, single, double; Bruns, 1 RBI; Keene, 3 singles, 3 RBI; Yates, single, 1 RBI; Keller, single; Mohr, single; Maxey, 1 RBI; Kempfer, single, 1RBI