Effingham Heat 14U Qualifies For USSSA Nationals

The Effingham Heat 14U team had a good weekend playing in the USSSA State Tournament getting four wins without a loss. This qualifies them to compete in the USSSA Nationals later this summer.

In game one, the Heat picked up their first win over Crawford County 10-1, Hope Collier picked up the win striking out 12 and allowing four base on balls. Hits came from Jenna Woltman with a single, Collier with a single and double, Jenna Wright with two singles and a triple, Parker Corder with a single and triple and Alexis Sullivan a single.
 
In game two, the Heat took on the Slammers from Skokie and picked up a 10-5 win. Corder picked up the win. Hannah Dulaney had a single, Woltman with two singles, Kaylee Tonn with two single and a bases loaded triple, Collier a single, Corder a single, Sullivan a single and Katelyn Lybarger a single.
 
In game three, the Heat scored eight runs in the first and added four more in the third to pick up a 12-0 win over the S.W.A.T. From Altamont/ T-Town. Woltman picked up the victory on the mound allowing just two hits and one base on balls while striking out one. At the plate for the Heat, Dulaney had a single and a double, Olivia Hickey a single, Woltman a single, Tonn three singles, Collier two singles,Corder a single, Sullivan a single, Lybarger a double and Camryn Heuerman a single.
 
In the final game, the Heat played a tough team in Illiana Sparks and picked up a 2-0 win.

"This was one of the best games I have seen us play, a total team effort," said Jeff Tonn. "Hope pitched an unbelievable game for us. She had 13 strikeouts while allowing three walks, only one after the first inning and only giving up two hits, a single in the third and a triple in the seventh. We had a great defensive effort by everyone but none bigger than a double play in the sixth, with a runner on first a ground ball to second basemen Hannah Dulaney charged the ball was able to tag the runner going to second and threw to first; after that Collier kind of took care of the rest striking out three of the next four outs to finish the game."

At the plate for the Heat, Hickey had a single, Tonn a single, Collier a double, Corder with two hits a single and a double and Sullivan a single.