Effingham Homers Way to Win; Other Friday Scores

The Effingham Hearts slugged six home runs Friday on the way to a wild 11-10 win over Nokomis, blowing a lead and then scoring in the bottom of the seventh for the win.

Hope Collier hit a three-run homer and a solo shot, Madison Weis hit two solo homers, Jenna Wright homered and Brittany Beals homered. Weis, Collier and Wright went back-to-back in the sixth inning when the Hearts took a seemingly comfortable 10-5 lead. However, Nokomis scored five times in the seventh to tie the game 10-10 before Effingham scored the winning run.

Effingham rang up 15 hits; Weis doubled in addition to her two homers and drove in three runs, Morgan Wilson singled twice, Collier singled in addition to her two homers and drove in four runs, Beals doubled in addition to her homer, Reanne Thies singled, Alissa Kersey singled twice, and Ashlyn Hanks singled.

Aly Armstrong pitched six innings, allowing eight runs, four earned, on 10 hits while fanning six. Collier pitched the final inning, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk.

The Hearts improved to 6-4 on the spring.

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St. Anthony played three times Friday in a round-robin event. The Bulldogs won over Altamont 18-10, but lost to Newton 8-6 and lost to Olney 10-0.

In the win over Altamont, Maddie Schuette, Abbie Schmidt and Jenna Woltman teamed up for the win, Schuette going two innings, Schmidt facing three hitters, and Woltman pitching the final two innings. St. Anthony scored eight runs each in the first and fourth innings, along with single runs in the second and third innings. Altamont got a run in the first, five in the second and four in the third.

Schuette homered for St. Anthony, Woltman doubled and singled and drove in five runs, Megan Nuxoll doubled and singled and drove in three runs, Hunter Niebrugge, Schuette and Leanne Gurtner each drove in two runs, and Paige Koester, Mills and Having each drove in a run. Morgan Gardewine singled and walked three times.

Biggs had two hits for Altamont, and other hits were recorded by Stone, Kopplin, Phillips and McHugh.

In the loss to Olney, St. Anthony managed just four hits, singles by Koester, Gardewin, Schuette and Schmidt. Woltman took the loss in the four-inning game, allowing all 10 runs, six earned on six hits and five walks while fanning one batter.

In the loss to Newton, Woltman and Mills each had two hits with Mills driving in three runs. Also with hits, Niebrugge, Nuxoll and Schuette. Woltman also pitched this game, allowing the eight runs, five earned, on four hits and seven walks while fanning five.

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South Central pounded St. Elmo/Brownstown 17-2. Abby King not only went the distance for the pitching victory, but she had four hits including a triple and drove in four runs. Also for South Central; Mia Campbell singled twice, Serina Lee tripled twice and drove in two runs, Sidney Wilkins tripled and doubled and drove in three runs, Jordan Schaal drove in a run, Bailey Ritter tripled and singled and drove in three runs, Jayla Conley singled and drove in a run, and Alanna Sigrist singled.

For SEB, hits from Darby Moss, Kyrstyn Fitch, Baylee Scholes, Audriana Pruett, Sydney Moss, Jenna Long and Courtney Russell.

Scholes took the pitching loss.

South Central is now 5-7, 1-3 in the NTC, while SEB is now 6-15, 3-2 in the NTC. 

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Other scores from Friday:

Newton 9, Olney 

Olney 12, Altamont 1

Pana 4, Greenville 2

Neoga 5, Paris 4

Flora 10, Marshall 2

Hillsboro 20, Vandalia 8

(GAME 1) Clay City 10, Bluford Webber 0

(GAME 2) Clay City 10, Bluford Webber 0

Cumberland 8, Palestine-Hutsonville 5

Tuscola 9, Shelbyville 1