Published on May 14, 2026 6:55 am
Last Updated on May 14, 2026 6:55 am
There was no score after the first seven innings of play Wednesday as the City Baseball Series got underway.
Effingham finally broke free to score the winning run in the top of the eighth over Effingham St. Anthony, 1-0.
St. Anthony rattled the cages early, loading the bases in the first inning. Henry Brent led off the frame with a double. Rogan Allen drew a walk and Blake Verdeyen singled. But the Hearts got out of the frame without suffering any damage.
The Hearts went up and down in order through the first two innings and St. Anthony went up and down through the second and third.
The Hearts finally put a runner on base in the third as Jacob Warner drew a walk but was left stranded.
Effingham’s Brody Boehm led off the fourth with a single. A strikeout put up the first out on the board. Westin Hayes followed with a grounder that turned into a fielder’s choice getting Boehm out. Jude Traub singled but was out on a fielder’s choice for the final play of the fourth.
St. Anthony then rumbled in the bottom of the frame as Blake Verdeyen singled. But the second batter was out as the first baseman Jacob Warner got the ball for the out then threw to second for a double play, getting Verdeyen out. Charley Spour followed with a single but was left stranded when the Hearts got the final out on a grounder.
Both teams had runners on base in the fifth on singles but couldn’t get them home.
Effingham’s Braddy and We. Hayes got on base in the sixth with back-to-back singles. But the Bulldogs got the next three outs on a fly ball to short and two strikeouts registered by pitcher Maddox Clark.
The game went into the seventh. St. Anthony’s Ben McDonald singled and Freddie Jansen drew a walk with one out. But a fly ball and a strikeout got the Bulldogs out of the frame without doing any damage.
Then in the top of the eighth, We. Hayes drew a walk and stole second. With one out, Brayden Tucker slapped out a single that scored Hayes and the Hearts led 1-0.
And that’s where it would end as the Bulldogs went up an down in order on a ground out and two strikeouts by Wyatt Hayes in the bottom of the eighth.
The two teams meet today in the second game of the City Series at 7 p.m. This game can be heard on 979XFM.
At St. Anthony
Effingham 000 000 01 — 1-8-0
St. Anthony 000 000 00 — 0-7-1
WP — Traub. LP — Dorris.
Effingham — Wagoner, single; Boehm, single; Braddy, single; We. Hayes, single; Traub, single; Tucker, single, 1 RBI; Flack, single; Warner, single
St. Anthony — Brent, single, double; Verdeyen, 2 singles; Spour, single; McDonald, single; Beals, single