It was a similar scenario in the second game. Effingham pushed five runs across the plate in the first inning and was never threatened.

Again, Boone and Bierman started things off with base hits, but Boone was thrown out trying to reach third. Donaldson followed with an RBI triple and Armstrong made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly. But before the inning was over, Engel, Madi Kirk and Alyssa Martin had run-scoring singles.

EHS added three runs in the second, a single tally in the third and four more in the fourth. Boone, Donaldson, Armstrong, Harvey and Engel each had two hits in the 14-hit attack.

Althoff went the first four innings to get the win. She allowed just two hits and an unearned run. She didn’t walk a batter and struck out six. Layla McBride pitched the fifth.

The Lady Hearts improved to 18-6 overall and 8-2 in the Apollo Conference. They will play at home again Friday against Flora.