Effingham Express Wins Junior Girls Tourney Title

Effingham Express Care edged J&R Collision 8-7 to win the championship of the Girls Junior Softball League Tournament Friday.

Effingham Express claimed a 10-5 win over Walk's Auto Body in the opening contest. Express stepped out to a 3-0 first inning lead and never looked back.

McKenzie Wittenberg pitched a four-hitter. Grace Hibbitts had a double and three RBI while Courtney Wren had three singles and three RBI and Krysta Dasenbrock a double and an RBI.

Bella Kronewitter led Walk's with two singles and two RBI.

In the championship game, J&R Collision moved ahead 4-1 in the first inning.  Effingham Express Care pulled back within 4-2 in the second and moved ahead 6-4 in the third. J&R tied in the fifth but Effingham Express took an 8-6 lead in the top of the sixth. J&R mounted a rally in the bottom of the inning only to fall a run short.

Wittenberg and Dasenbrock had two singles and an RBI each for the winners.

J&R was led by MacKenzie Brewer with a single, double and an RBI, Emma Budde with triple and an RBI, Andrea Bierman with a double and Hope Monnet with a triple.

At Evergreen Hollow Park

Game One

Effingham Express Care             321    004    --    10-9-3

Walk's Auto Body                        002    030    --      5-4-4

WP -- Wittenberg. LP -- Kronewitter.

Effingham Express Care -- Wittenberg, 2 singles; Hakman, 2 singles; Hibbitts, double, 3 RBI; Wren, 3 singles, 3 RBI; Dasenbrock, double, 1 RBI; Hemrich, 1 RBI

Walk's Auto Body -- Kronewitter, 2 singles, 2 RBI; Duncan, single; Ritz, single

Championship Game

Effingham Express Care             114    002    --    8-5

J&R Collision                               400    021    --    7-5

WP -- Witetnberg. LP -- Brummer.

Effingham Express Care -- Wittenberg, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Hakman, single; Dasenbrock, 2 singles, 1 RBI

J&R Collision -- Bierman, double; Budde, triple, 1 RBI; Brewer, single, double, 1 RBI; Monnet, triple