Published on April 20, 2026 9:23 am
Last Updated on April 20, 2026 9:26 am
BY MILLIE LANGE
MOUNT ZION — Effingham High School swept a softball doubleheader from Mount Zion Friday.
The Hearts edged Mount Zion 12-11 despite being outhit in the contest.
The Braves moved into a 4-0 opening inning lead but the Hearts came back with a vengeance, scoring eight runs in the top of the second. But the Braves pulled within 8-7 in the bottom of the frame. That’s where the scoring stood through the next three innings.
The Hearts then pushed into a 12-7 lead in the top of the sixth only to see Mount Zion come back once again, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth and attempting a final inning rally with a run.
Effingham had 12 hits led by Natalie Armstrong with a single, three doubles and five RBI. Gieah Schlanser finished with a single, home run and two RBI. Keagyn Koenig and Cora Hartmann finished with a double and an RBI each. Ryley Engel added two singles and an RBI and Maci Hayes a single and an RBI.
Layla McBride went 5.1 innings for the pitching victory. She gave up 10 runs on 13 hits, two walks while striking out four.
Effingham was a 10-6 winner behind a 13-hit attack. That hitting attack was led by Koenig as she blasted out three home runs and finished with six RBI. Armstrong added a single, home run an an RBI while Schlanser had two singles,a double and two RBI. Sydney Cunningham added a single and double. Hayes and Engel had a double each.
Armstrong went the distance on the mound. She gave up six runs on nine hits, four walks and struck out four.
At Mount Zion
Game One
Effingham 080 004 0 — 12-12-0
Mount Zion 430 003 1 — 11-15-3
WP — McBride. LP — Bolyard.
Effingham — Hayes, single, 1 RBI; Engel, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Armstrong, single, 3 doubles, 5 RBI; Schlanser, single, home run, 2 RBI; Koenig, double, 1 RBI; Hartman, double, 1 RBI; Maxedon single
Mount Zion — Beiler, single, double; Ethell, 3 singles, home run, 3 RBI; Rotz, single, triple, 1 RBI; Williams, 2 singles, 3 RBI; Ellegood, single, home run, 2 RBI; Kanemaru, single; Besser, double, 1 RBI; Green, single
Game Two
Effingham 000 331 3 — 10-13-3
Mount Zion 400 010 1 — 6- 9-0
WP — Armstrong. LP — Ellegood.
Effingham — Hayes, double; Engel, double; Armstrong, single, home run, 1 RBI; Schlanser, 2 singles, double, 2 RBI; Koenig, 3 home runs, 6 RBI; Cunningham, single, double; McBride, single
Mount Zion — Ethell, single; Williams, 3 singles, double; Ellgood, single, 1 RBI; Kanemaru, single; Besser, double, 2 RBI; Bolyard, single, 1 RBI
At Altamont
Newton High School’s Lexie Ghast threw a no-hitter as Newton blanked Altamont 14-0 in five innings Friday.
Ghast went the five innings, giving up no runs, no hits, no walks while striking out seven.
Meanwhile, Newton finished with 12 hits, five of those for extra bases. Allie Hermann had a single, home run and three RBI while Paige Wagner had a single, home run and two RBI. Jacee Dhom hit a solo shot. Izzy Meinhart had a triple and an RBI while Jorjia Reich added two singles and an RBI. Ghast aided her own cause with a single and two RBI. Gabby Flowers also finished with a single and two RBI. Claire Probst added an RBI.
At Altamont
Newton 044 24 — 14-12-0
Altamont 000 00 — 0- 0-2
WP — Ghast. LP — Long.
Newton — Hermann, single, home run, 3 RBI; J. Reich, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Probst, 1 RBI; Wagner, single, home run, 2 RBI; A. Reich, single, double; Dhom, home run, 1 RBI; Ghast, single, 2 RBI; Meinhart, triple, 1 RBI; Flowers, single, 2 RBI
Altamont — no hits
At Dieterich
Dieterich blanked Cisne by a 10-0 count in five innings Friday via the 10-run rule.
The Maroons took a 3-0 lead in the second inning, tacked on a single run in the third, five more in the fourth and a final one in the fifth to end the game.
Callie Faller led the way with a double and two RBI while Claire Faller had two singles and two RBI. Kensi Stortzum ended with two RBI. Allison Boerngen with a single and an RBI and Peyton Higgins with an RBI.
Boerngen was the winning pitcher. She gave up only one hit, did not allow a walk and struck out six.
At Dieterich
Cisne 000 00 — 0-1-2
Dieterich 031 51 — 10-6-1
WP — Boerngen. LP — Dagg.
Cisne — Hyder, single
Dieterich — Will, single; Ca. Faller, double, 2 RBI; Boerngen, single, 1 RBI; Cl. Faller, 2 singles, 2 RBI; Stortzum, 2 RBI; Higgins, 1 RBI; Garner, single
At Teutopolis
In a Friday contest, Teutopolis blanked Flora by a 5-0 count.
The Shoes moved into a 1-0 lead in the first inning, then tacked on two runs in the third and fifth innings.
T-town had seven hits led by Kera Hartke with a double, home run and two RBI while Malea Helmink added a solo homer. Chloe Hoene finished with a double and an RBI and Jersey Gaddis added a single and an RBI.
Alyssa Tipton went all seven innings on the mound. She struck out 12 while giving up only two hits and three walks.
T-town then headed to Tolono for the Unity Round Robin Saturday.
Tolono Unity bounced the Shoes in the opener to the tune of 15-6. Unity held a 3-0 opening inning lead and moved that to 4-1 in the fourth. T-town tied the score in the top of the fifth only to see Tolono Unity tally four runs n the bottom of the frame and added on seven in the sixth.
Gaddis hit a solo home run. Hoene added two doubles and two RBI while Hartke finished with a single, double and an RBI. Tipton hit a single and had two RBI.
Gaddis suffered the loss, going five innings, giving up eight runs on seven hits, walking nine and striking out four.
T-town then edged Marengo, 3-2 in the next contest.
The Shoes edged out to a 1-0 first inning lead then tallied single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Marengo mounted a comeback in the sixth but fell short.
Olivia Wermert had a double and an RBI for the Shoes. Tipton and Mallory Bloemer had an RBI each.
Tipton went the seven innings, giving up two runs on one hit, seven walks while striking out 12 in the win on the mound.
At Teutopolis
Friday Game
Flora 000 000 0 — 0-2-0
Teutopolis 102 020 x — 5-7-1
WP — Tipton. LP — Kitley.
Flora — Jones, single; McGrew, single
Teutopolis — Hartke, double, home run, 2 RBI; Gaddis, single, 1 RBI; Helmink, home run, 1 RBI; Hoene, double, 1 RBI; Tipton, single; Bloemer, single
Saturday Games
At Tolono
Game One
Teutopolis 010 032 0 — 6- 8-3
Tolono Unity 300 147 x — 15-12-2
WP — Eisenmenger. LP — Gaddis.
Teutopolis — Hartke, single, double, 1 RBI; Gaddis, home run, 1 RBI; Helmink, single; Hoene, 2 doubles, 2 RBI; Tipton, single, 2 RBI; Shue, single
Tolono Unity — Frye, double, 3 RBI; Bickers, double, triple, 3 RBI; Harris, double, 2 RBI; Weckle, double; Smith, 2 singles, 3 RBI; Gadeken, single; Finical, 1 RBI; Wilson, 4 singles, 1 RBI; Eisenmenger, 1 RBI
Game Two
Marengo 000 002 0 — 2-1-1
Teutopolis 100 110 x — 3-4-1
WP — Tipton. LP — White.
Marengo — Lovinelli, home run, 2RBI
Teutopolis — Gaddis, single; Hoene, single; Bloemer, 1 RBI; Wermert, double, 1 RBI; Tipton, 1 RBI; Shue, single