Lady Bulldogs capture 4th straight regional championship; Vonderheide goes deep, drives in three in 6-4 win over T-Town
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
The St. Anthony seniors will leave the softball program knowing they never lost a regional game.
The Lady Bulldogs kept that streak alive Friday afternoon with a hard-fought 6-4 victory over their rival, the Teutopolis Lady Shoes, in the championship game of the St. Anthony Class 2A Regional.
For this group, it was their fourth straight regional title.
“It never gets old,” SAHS coach Makayla Taylor admitted. “We battled through some adversity today. But at this point of the season, it’s all about survive and advance. In the postseason, a win is a win.”
St. Anthony is known for its potent offense. In Tuesday’s 17-2 rout of Sullivan in the semifinals, the Lady Bulldogs scored 11 runs in the opening inning and finished with 17 hits.
T-Town pitchers Alyssa Tipton and Olivia Hemmen made sure the SAHS bats were not as potent, and as a result, the game at Bulldog Field was close throughout – although there was a threat of a big first inning.
Addie Wernsing led off with a drive over rightfielder Kayleigh Zerrusen’s head that went for a double. After one out, Abbi Hatton and Sydney Kibler both walked to load the bases. Maddie Kibler than received a third straight walk to force in the first run of the game and Stacie Vonderheide was then hit by a pitch to make it 2-0.
The Lady Bulldogs were set up for a big inning, but Tipton retired the next two batters.
EHS is No. 2 seed in Salem Class 3A Baseball Regional
The Effingham Flaming Hearts were named the No. 2 seed in the Salem Class 3A Regional, which will open play on Monday, May 20.
There are five teams in that regional, including Olney (Richland County), Charleston, Mattoon and Salem.
The winner of the Salem Regional will advance to the Troy Triad Sectional, which is scheduled for May 29-June 1. Winners of the regionals at Marion, Jerseyville and Waterloo will advance to Troy Triad.
Here is the schedule for the Salem Regional:
Monday, May 20
Game 1 – 4:30 p.m. – Olney (#8) at Charleston (#7)
Wednesday, May 22
Game 2 – 4:30 p.m. – Effingham (#2) vs. Winner Game 1
Thursday, May 23
Game 3 – 4:30 p.m. – Mattoon (#3) vs. Salem (#6)
Saturday, May 25
Game 4 – 11 a.m. – Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3 (championship)
Lady Hearts will compete in the Highland Class 3A Regional
The Effingham Lady Hearts are the No. 3 seed in the Highland Class 3A Regional, which will open play on Monday, May 20.
There are five teams in that regional. The other teams are Mattoon, Olney (Richland County), Highland and Salem.
The winner of the Highland Regional will advance to the Waterloo Sectional, which is scheduled for May 28-31. Winners of the regionals at Bethalto Civic Memorial, Carbondale and Troy Triad will also advance to the Waterloo Sectional.
Here is the schedule for the Highland Regional:
Monday, May 20
Game 1 – 4:30 p.m. – Mattoon (#9) at Olney (#8)
Tuesday, May 21
Game 2 – 4:30 p.m. – Effingham (#3) vs. Highland (#7)
Wednesday, May 22
Game 3 – 4:30 p.m. – Salem (#2) vs. Winner Game 1
Friday, May 24
Game 4 – 4:30 p.m. – Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3 (championship)
Four-run third propels Hearts to 8-3 win at Civic Memorial
The Effingham Hearts used a four-run third inning to take the lead and went on to post an 8-3 victory Friday afternoon at Civic Memorial in Bethalto.
The hosts grabbed a 2-0 lead in the opening frame, but the third proved to be pivotal for EHS.
Kaiden Nichols led off with a walk. With one out, Cam Raddatz singled and both runners moved up on a fly ball. Spencer Fox then delivered a clutch two-run single to tie the game. An error allowed another run to cross the plate and Braden Verdeyen capped the inning with an RBI double.
A sacrifice fly by Fox accounted for a single tally in the fifth and the Hearts provided some additional cushion with a three-run sixth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases. A sacrifice fly by Raddatz brought home the first run and Colton Webb delivered a two-run single.
Nichols pitched the first four innings to get the win. He allowed five hits and two runs, while walking three and striking out four. Jude Traub pitched the final three frames to earn the save.
The Hearts improved to 19-9 on the season. They will be right back in action Saturday, finishing their regular season with a doubleheader at Centralia. The first game is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Hatton's 3-run homer helps Bulldogs win, reach regional title game
Brody Hatton and Beau Adams went deep Wednesday, helping the St. Anthony Bulldogs open postseason play in successful fashion, posting a 6-1 victory over Marshall in a semifinal game of the Marshall Class 2A Regional.
Hatton helped the Bulldogs jump on top early. After walks to Aiden Lauritzen and Connor Roepke, Hatton launched a 3-2 pitch over the leftfield fence to stake SAHS to a 3-0 lead in the opening inning.
Marshall scored its lone run in the second and St. Anthony then added three more tallies in the third.
Adams led off with a home run. Lauritzen then singled and Brock Fearday walked. Roepke followed with an RBI single and Will Fearday brought home the final run with a ground out.
Lauritzen turned in a strong six-inning performance to get the win. He allowed seven hits and one run. He walked two and struck out 12, while throwing 111 pitches. Brock Fearday pitched the seventh.
The Bulldogs improved to 21-5 on the season. They will now face either Newton or Lawrenceville for the regional championship. That game is set for 11 a.m. Saturday.
Shoes erupt for 10 runs in second; roll to a 16-2 regional victory
Zac Niebrugge, Austin Borries and Mitch Koester combined for six hits and nine RBI Wednesday, leading the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes to a 16-2, five-inning win over Cumberland in a semifinal game of the Teutopolis Class 2A Regional.
A 10-run second inning removed any doubts after the 10th-seeded Pirates took a 2-0 lead over No. 2 T-Town in the opening inning.
The Shoes combined six hits, three walks and three Cumberland errors to push 10 runs across the plate. Zac Niebrugge had a two-run double and an RBI single in the inning, while Borries had a bases-clearing double.
Koester finished 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, while Niebrugge was 2-for-3 with four RBI and Borries had the one hit and drove in three.
The Shoes also received eight walks and took advantage of five Pirate errors to score 10 unearned runs.
Logan Lawson pitched the first four innings and got the win. He gave up four hits and two runs, while walking two and striking out six. Gavin Addis pitched the fifth.
The Shoes improved to 21-11. They will now face either Robinson or Flora for the regional championship. That game is set for 10 a.m. Saturday.