St. Anthony takes Game 1 of City Series Just as Rain Moves in

The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs defeated the EHS Lady Hearts 12-11 in 10 innings in Game 1 of the City Series just as rain moved into the area, cancelling action for the rest of the evening. 

Both City Series softball and baseball action has been postponed to Friday at times to be determined. We'll carry the baseball game on 979 XFM and softball action on KJ Country 102.3.  There will be a doubleheader of softball and a completion of Baseball Game 2 and then the final baseball game of the series.

Where the softball game was concerned, a see-saw affair is a more than accurate description.

Effingham started the scoring with two runs in the top of the first on a two-run home run by Hope Collier, also scoring Madison Weis who started the game with a single.

St. Anthony bounced right back, though, with three runs in the bottom of the frame when leadoff hitter Paige Koester was hit by a pitch, Jenna Woltman tripled Koester home, Makayla Walsh drove Woltman home with a ground ball, and Hunter Niebrugge walked and came home on a ground ball by Kristen Schuette.

Scoring then stopped until the fifth inning.  Effingham scored three times on a one-out triple by Katie Roberts, a run-scoring double by Madison Weis, a single by Morgan Wilson, a sacrifice fly by Collier, and an error allowing Wilson to score.

St. Anthony again bounced back with a five-run bottom of the fifth.  Niebrugge doubled to lead off the inning, Kate Richards singled her home, Kristen Schuette singled, Megan Nuxoll reached on an error, Morgan Gardewine walked, Koester reached on a fielder's choice, Woltman doubled home two runs to make it 8-5.

Effingham then posted their own five-run inning in the top of the sixth to take a 10-8 lead.  With one out, Shelby Nunamaker doubled, Gloria Rivera singled, Roberts singled home Nunamaker, Weis singled home Rivera, and Kaylee Tonn singled home two more.  

However, here came the Bulldogs again.  In the bottom of the inning, Niebrugge led off with a single, Kristen Schuette reached on an error and Niebrugge scored, and Maddie Schuette singled home Kristen Schuette to make it 10-10.

Effingham tried again to claim a win with a run in the seventh on a walk to Rivera and a sacrifice fly by Madison Weis to make it 11-10, but St. Anthony scored in the bottom of the frame on singles by Makayla Walsh and Niebrugge and a run scoring groundball by Richards to tie it at 11-11 and send the game to extra innings.

Neither team scored in the eighth or ninth innings, but St. Anthony pushed across the winning run on the 10th.  Richards walked to start the inning, was wild pitched to second and stole third.  With a runner on third and no one out, Collier bore down and struck out one hitter and got a pop up on another and got two strikes on Megan Nuxoll before Nuxoll lined a single to left to score Richards and win the game.

Walsh and Woltman teamed up for the St. Anthony pitching line.  Walsh allowed eight runs, seven earned on nine hits in 5-1/3 innings of work, walking no one and striking out four.  Woltman, who got the win, finished with 3-2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, walking six and striking out one.

Collier went the entire 10-2/3 innings for Effingham, allowing eight earned runs, 12 in all, on 15 hits, walking five and fanning five.

For the Bulldogs, Paige Koester scored two runs; Jenna Woltman tripled, doubled and singled and scored a run while driving in three; Makayla Walsh singled and walked, scored a run, and drove in a run; Hunter Niebrugge had four hits including a double and walked and scored three times; Kate Richards singled twice and walked, scored twice and drove in two runs; Kristen Schuette singled twice and walked, scored twice and drove in two runs; Maddie Schuette singled and drove in a run; and Megan Nuxoll singled twice, scored and drove in the game-winning run.

For Effingham, Madison Weis doubled twice and singled twice, scored three times and drove in three runs; Morgan Wilson singled and scored; Hope Collier homered and walked, scored twice and drove in two runs; Kaylee Tonn singled twice and walked and drove in two runs; Brittany Beals walked; Jenna Wright singled and walked; Shelby Nunamaker doubled and walked; Gloria Rivera singled and walked and scored twice; and Katie Roberts doubled and singled and walked, scored twice and drove in a run.

St. Anthony improved to 17-11 on the season, while Effingham is at .500 at 11-11.

City Series baseball results are located here.

(MEMBERS OF THE EFFINGHAM HEARTS AND ST. ANTHONY BULLDOGS SOFTBALL TEAMS AND VOLUNTEERS WORK TO GET THE TARP ON THE INFIELD AT EFFINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL FIELD FOLLOWING THE SOFTBALL GAME THURSDAY EVENING)