Published on April 15, 2025 9:11 am
Last Updated on April 15, 2025 9:14 am
By MILLIE LANGE
KINMUNDY — South Central held a 5-3 lead heading into the final inning of its softball game against Effingham St. Anthony Monday in a game heard on KJ Country 102.3.
That’s when the Bulldogs went to work. Eight hits, a walk and an error later, Effingham St. Anthony ended up scoring eight runs and claimed an 11-5 victory.
There was some rumbling by both teams in the opening three innings. South Central left two on in the second. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs left two stranded in the first and two more on base in the third.
St. Anthony finally dented the plate in the fourth as Emeline Wines reached base on an error then stole second. She was sacrificed over by Ava Faber and came home on a single by Jackie Vonderheide.
But in the bottom of the fourth, the Cougars also broke free, moving into a 2-1 lead. Kaitlyn Swift drew a walk and Kinlee Thompson singled. Lauren Johnson followed with a ground out that scored Swift. Amelia Montes drew a walk. Another ground out, this one by Abi Shuler scored Thompson.
The Cougars pushed their lead to 5-1 in the fifth. Perci Reid led off with a single but was thrown out heading to second. Kyra Swift singled and Maddie Peddicord followed by drawing a walk. With two outs, Thompson stepped to the plate and knocked out a home run and the Cougars held a 5-1 lead
St. Anthony’s Ella Johnson retaliated with a home run of her own in the sixth. Vonderheide reached base on a double and Johnson followed with the home run that pulled St. Anthony within 5-3.
Then came the fateful seventh. It started off with a single by Julia Schultz. Ava Walton followed with a single and Wines had a single that scored Schultz. Here came the fourth single of the inning as Ava Faber hit one that scored Walton. There was an error on a ball hit by Vonderheide and she reached base. Nancy Ruholl drew a walk and Adysen Rios hit a single that scored two more runs. Lilly Gannaway followed with a single scoring Ruholl. Schultz came after that with her second single of the inning and Walton banged out a double scoring Rios and Gannaway.
That inning ended up with eight runs scoring on eight hits with a walk and two errors.
South Central went up and down in the bottom of the seventh and the game ended.
St. Anthony finished with 15 hits led by Walton with two singles, a double and two RBI, Schultz with three singles, Johnson with a home run and two RBI, Vonderheide with a single, double and an RBI, Rios with two singles and two RBI and Gannaway with two singles and an RBI. Wines and Faber finished with a single and an RBI each.
Wines picked up the win, coming on the mound in the sixth. She allowed two hits and struck out one.
South Central was led in hitting by Thompson with a single, home run and three RBI, Reid with a single and double and Kyra Swift with two singles.
At Kinmundy
St. Anthony 000 102 8 — 11-15-2
South Central 000 230 0 — 5- 8-2
WP — Wines. LP — Johnson.
St. Anthony — Rios, 2 singles, 2 RBI; Gannaway, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Schultz, 3 singles; Walton, 2 singles, double, 2 RBI; Wines, single, 1 RBI; Faber, single, 1 RBI; Vonderheide, single, double, 1 RBI; Johnson, home run, 2 RBI
South Central — Ky. Swift, 2 singles; Thompson, single, home run, 3 RBI; Johnson, 1 RBI; Montes, single; Shuler, 1 RBI; Buchanan, single; Reid, single, double
At Effingham
Effingham ran out to a 5-0 opening inning lead and went on to down Hillsboro by a 10-2 tally Monday.
The Hearts added on a run in the third, three in the fourth and one in the fifth. Hillsboro’s two runs came in the third and sixth.
Saige Althoff started the game and went five innings allowing one run on five hits. She did not give up a walk and struck out five. Natalie Armstrong came on to toss two innings, allowing one run on three hits, no walks and striking out three.
Myra Harvey finished with two singles, a double and two RBI while Armstrong added two singles and an RBI and Ryley Engel a double, Madison Kirk two singles and two RBI and Sidney Donaldson and Maci Hayes a single and an RBI each and Bria Beals an RBI.
At Effingham
Hillsboro 001 001 0 — 2- 8-3
Effingham 501 310 x — 10-11-1
WP — Althoff. LP — Schaake.
Hillsboro — Camp, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Lessman, single; Greenwood, single, 1 RBI; Schultz, 2 singles; Rogers, single, double
Effingham — Engel, double; Donaldson, single, 1 RBI; Armstrong, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Harvey, 2 singles, double, 2 RBI; Martin, single; Hayes, single, 1 RBI; Kirk, 2 singles, 2 RBI; Beals, 1 RBI
At Cowden
Teutopolis’ Jersey Gaddis took the mound and held Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City to one hit as the Wooden Shoes claimed a 12-0 win in five innings via the 10-run rule Monday.
Gaddis went the five innings, giving up six walks while striking out nine.
Meanwhile, T-town banged out 11 hits led by Kera Hartke with two singles, a double and two RBI, Malea Helmink with a single and four RBI, Olivia Wermert with a double and two RBI, Gaddis with two singles and an RBI, Kylie Borries with two singles and an RBI and Chloe Hoene with two singles. Clara Mette and Kayleigh Zerrusen had an RBI each.
Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City’s lone hit was a single by Macee Rodman.
At Cowden
Teutopolis 204 24 — 12-11-0
CHBC 000 00 — 0- 1-2
WP — Gaddis. LP — Prater.
Teutopolis — Hartke, 2 singles, double, 2 RBI; Hoene, 2 singles; Helmink, single, 4 RBI; Zerrusen, 1 RBI; Borries, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Wermert, double, 2 RBI; Mette, 1 RBI; Gaddis 2 singles, 1RBI
Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City — Rodman, single
At St. Elmo
Grace Lemke threw a no-hitter as Altamont blanked St. Elmo/Brownstown, 15-0 in five innings Monday.
Lemke went three innings giving up no runs on no hits, one walk while striking out seven. Sophia Long came on to toss two innings, as she kept the no-hitter going with one walk and two strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Altamont finished with 11 hits and was aided by six St. Elmo/Brownstown errors and seven walks.
Avery Fleeharty finished with a single, double and two RBI while Cecilia Pearcy had two singles and an RBI, Madison Tonn two singles and Ella Nelson, Jocelyn Pearcy and Becca Swank a single and an RBI each.
At St. Elmo
Altamont 145 23 — 15-11-0
SEB 000 00 — 0- 0-6
WP — Lemke. LP — Holliday.
Altamont — Fleeharty, single, double, 2 RBI; Lemke, single; Nelson, single, 1 RBI; C. Pearcy, 2 singles, 1 RBI; J. Pearcy, single, 1 RBI; Hankins, single; Tonn, 2 singles; Long, 1 RBI; Swank, single, 1 RBB; Schultz, 1 RBI
St. Elmo/Brownstown — no hits
At Neoga
Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg and Neoga went through three scoreless innings but the Hatchets finally broke loose with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth for a 3-0 win Monday.
The victory came behind the no-hit pitching of Kendra Hayes. Hayes went all seven innings, striking out 12 and giving up four walks.
Meanwhile, Samantha Hayes and Myra Friese had two singles each. S. Hayes added an RBI. K. Hayes had a single and an RBI and Alaira Friese a single.
Neoga had four runners on base as Hannah Probst drew two walks while Kadie Becker and Brooklynn Douglas had one walk each.
At Neoga
Windsor/Stew-Stras 000 120 0 — 3-6-1
Neoga 000 000 0 — 0-o-2
WP — K. Hayes. LP — Propst.
Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg — Friese, 2 singles; K. Hayes, single, 1 RBI; S. Hayes, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Friese, single
Neoga — no hits