Hearts Season Comes to an End at Super-Sectional

The Effingham Hearts baseball season came to an end Monday at the Sauget Super-Sectional.

The Hearts lost 11-1 in five innings to the Waterloo Bulldogs in a game heard on 979XFM and www.979xfm.com. 

The game started well enough. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Cooper Jackson singled and was doubled home by Brayton Poland to make it 1-0.

That was the last run the Hearts would score.

Meanwhile, Waterloo never stopped scoring.

The Bulldogs tied the game in the first, scored four runs in the second inning, added a run in the third inning, scored four more runs in the fourth inning and put the game away with a run in the bottom of the fifth to win by the 10-run rule.

The Hearts managed just three hits, two of those in the first inning. Colin Fielitz picked up the other base hit.

Waterloo pounded out 14 hits on the way to the win.

Jackson Lee took the loss in relief of Matthew Loy, allowing eight runs in two innings of work. Lee relieved starter Matthew Loy, who gave up the first run of the game. Kalen Reardon pitched an inning and allowed two runs, while Poland got an out before giving up a ground rule double that allowed the game-ending run.

While he went 0-for-3 at the plate, Hearts center fielder Kendall Ballman made a sensational catch in right centerfield, sprinting toward a ball in the gap, making the catch and then heading head-first over the outfield fence. Ballman emerged unscathed.

Effingham finishes a season that included their first super-sectional ever and their first State appearance since the 1941-42 school year. The Hearts final mark was 26-10.

Class 3A Sauget Super-Sectional

Effingham               100    00    --      1-  3-1

Waterloo                  141    41    --    11-12-0

WP -- Crawford. LP -- Loy.

Effingham -- Jackson, single; Poland, double, 1 RBI; Fielitz, single

Waterloo -- Roedl, single; Kueper, double, 3 RBI; Crawford, 2 singles; Heusohn, single, 1 RBI; Kueper, single, 1 RBI; Wittenauer, single, double, 2 RBI; Albrecht, single, double, 2 RBI; Baker, single; Kaltenbronn, single, 2 RBI