Effingham Wins 2013 City Series 2-1

The Effingham Hearts won the rubber game of the 2013 City Series Friday night, downing the St. Anthony Bulldogs 3-1 in a game heard on 979XFM.

The Hearts scored their runs in the second inning.  With one out, Matt Steffen and Devin Mayfield earned back-to-back walks.  Nathan Vail singled home Steffen and, after a Jeff Coleman walk, Austin Webb singled home Mayfield.  In all, three runs scored to give the Hearts the lead.

From that point, Bulldogs' starter Ben Hecht settled down, retiring 11 in a row before Alex Carie reached on an error to lead off the sixth inning.

Effingham's Drew Levitt, though, shut down the Bulldogs.  Levitt, who is battling blister problems, hit Austin Bushur and Jacob Schuette back-to-back in the first inning and walked Jacob Lorenz, but escaped without allowing a run.  St. Anthony didn't have a hit until Neil Williams singled with two outs in the third inning.

Levitt retired seven straight batters until Lorenz singled in the sixth inning.  Eli Dasenbrock followed with a base hit and then Charlie Schultz doubled home Lorenz for the Bulldogs' lone run.

Drew Levitt walked Ben Hecht to open the seventh and Hearts' Coach Chris Fleener went to Dirk Levitt, Drew's twin brother, for relief.  Dirk Levitt walked Bushur, though, so Fleener then brought in Preston Walker with Bulldogs runners on second and third and nobody out.  In one of the key moments of the night, Walker picked Hecht off third base for the first out in the inning.  The play seemed to take the air out of the St. Anthony rally as Schuette was called out on strikes and then Williams flied out to left to end the game.

Drew Levitt got the win, working six innings and allowing four hits and three walks while striking out 11 Bulldog batters.  Dirk Levitt faced the one batter and issued a walk, while Walker earned the save with one perfect inning of work.

Hecht took the loss for St. Anthony, allowing the three runs on just three hits and three walks while fanning eight in pitching a complete game.

For Effingham, Matt Steffen walked and scored, Devin Mayfield doubled and walked and scored a run, Nathan Vail singled and scored and drove in a run, Jeff Coleman walked, and Austin Webb singled and drove in a run.

For St. Anthony, Ben Hecht walked, Austin Bushur walked and was hit by a pitch, Jacob Schuette was hit by a pitch and stole a base, Neil Williams singled, Jacob Lorenz singled and walked and scored the lone Bulldogs' run, Eli Dasenbrock singled, Charlie Schultz doubled and drove in the lone run and Zach Gardewine walked.