Published on May 4, 2026 8:04 am
Last Updated on May 4, 2026 8:45 am
Effingham ran out to early leads in Apollo Conference games against Taylorville Friday and came away the winner in both.
The Hearts opened with a 4-0 victory. EHS struck in the first inning, scoring two runs, then tallied single runs in the fourth and sixth.
Keagyn Koenig hit a solo homer for the Hearts. Ryley Engel added a double and an RBI while Maci Hayes and Cora Hartmann finished with two singles each. Natalie Armstrong and Sydney Cunningham had a single and an RBI each.
Meanwhile, Armstrong held the Tornadoes to two hits. She struck out eight and walked two.
Effingham then came back to bang out 10 hits in the second contest and claim a 10-3 victory.
The Hearts moved into a 3-0 opening inning lead then tacked on three more in the second, two in the third and single runs in the fourth and fifth.
Armstrong had a single, home run and three RBI. Hayes added a single, triple and an RBI. Koenig finished with a single, double and an RBI. Engel added a double and an RBI. Molly Maxedon and Olivia Koester tallied a single and had an RBI each.
Armstrong went the distance on the mound for her second pitching win of the day. She gave up three runs on 10 hits, three walks and struck out nine.
At Effingham
Game One
Tayloville 000 000 0 — 0-2-0
Effingham 200 101 x — 4-8-0
WP — Armstrong. LP — DeMichael.
Taylorville — Corzine, single; Heimnsness, single
Effingham — Hayes, 2 singles; Engel, double, 1 RBI; Armstrong, single, 1 RBI; Koenig, home run, 1 RBI; Hartmann, 2 singles; Cunningham, single, 1 RBI
Game Two
Taylorville 000 300 0 — 3-10-6
Effingham 332 110 x — 10-10-2
WP — Armstrong. LP — Corzine.
Taylorville — DeMichael, 3 singles; Corzine, 2 singles, 2 RBI; Rogers, 2 singles; Heimsness, 2 singles; Wiley, single
Effingham — Hayes, single, triple, 1 RBI; Engel, double, 1 RBI; Armstrong, single, home run, 3 RBI; Schlanser, single; Koenig, single, double, 1 RBI; Maxedon, single, 1 RBI; Koester, single, 1 RBI
National Trail Conference Tournament
Two games opened the National Trail Conference Tournament Friday.
St. Elmo/Brownstown trounced Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City 15-0 in five innings.
The Eagles moved into a 4-0 opening inning lead. They tacked on a single runs in the third, three in the fourth and ended the game in the fifth with seven.
SEB finished with 17 hits led by Alivia Claycomb, Auni Wollin and Brooklyn Landrus with three singles each. Claycomb finished with three RBI while Wollin and Landrus had two each. Cami Haslett added two singles and two RBI while Macy Claycomb, Izzy Orr and Kadence Speagle also had two singles and drove in one run each. Macey Sapp added an RBI.
CHBC had five hits, all singles by Natalie Tucker, Madison Dover, Jayden Dilley, Carissa Wakefield and Allison Shields.
Speagle picked up the pitching win, giving up five hits, no walks while striking out seven.
In the second contest, Altamont bounced North Clay to the tune of 11-1 in five innings.
Altamont moved ahead 4-0 in the second. the Indians tallied three more in the second and four more in the fourth to end the game via the 10-run rule.
Sophia Long went the five innings on the mound. She struck out 13 while giving up one run on five hits. She walked three.
The Indians finished with 13 hits led by Sophia Long with a single, home run and an RBI, Laila Hankins with a home run and two RBI, Haley Arend with two singles, a double and three RBI, Alyssa Ruholl with two singles, a double and two RBI and Avery Fleeharty and Jocelyn Pearcy with a single and an RBI each.
The tournament continues today with four games, weather permitting at Evergreen Hollow Park. Games will begin at 4:15 p.m. as Elmo/Brownstown takes on Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg on the East Diamond while Dieterich and St. Anthony meet on the West Diamond.
Cumberland and Altamont meet at 6:15 p.m. on the East Diamond and South Central and Neoga square off at 6:15 p.m. on the West Diamond.
At Cowden
Game One
St. Elmo/Brownstown 401 37 — 15-17-0
Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City 000 00 — 0- 5-4
WP — Speagle. LP — Prater.
St. Elmo/Brownstown — Speagle, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Sapp, 1 RBI; Orr, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Landrus, 3 singles, 2 RBI; Wollin, 3 singles, 2 RBI; Claycomb, 3 singles, 3 RBI; C. Haslett, 2 singles, 2 RBI; Claycomb, 2 singles, 1 RBI
Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City — single; Wakefield, single; Dilly, single; Dover, single; Tucker, single
Game Two
North Clay 001 00 — 1- 5-4
Altamont 043 4x — 11-13-0
WP — Long. LP — Snell.
North Clay — Romack, single, double; Zimmerman, single; Jones, 2 singles, !RBI
Altamont — Fleeharty, single, 1 RBI; Nelson, single; Long, single, home run, 1 RBI; Schnarre, single; Hankins, home run, 2 RBI; Pearcy, single, 1 RBI; Arend, 2 singles, double, 3 RBI; Ruholl, 2 singles, double, 2 RBI