After the Knights went down in order to start the game, Jack Harper laced a double into the left-centerfield gap to lead things off for the Hearts. But they were just getting started. Kaden Koeberlein walked and Camden Raddatz bounced a single to right to load the bases.

Clean-up hitter Quest Hull then drove a 2-1 pitched in fence in right-centerfield, driving in a pair and staking the Hearts to a quick lead. Myles Maxedon then walked to load the bases and Colton Webb worked another walk, forcing in a run. That knocked out the Knights’ starting pitcher, Brady Coon, who didn’t retire a batter.

With one out, Spencer Fox found the right-centerfield gap again, doubling home two more runs. Then with two outs, Koberlein lined a pitch off the shortstop’s glove. It was ruled an error, but two more runs crossed the plate, giving EHS a 7-0 advantage.

“We knew their pitchers had been very off-speed heavy lately,” McNeely explained. “We were disciplined in the box and laid off a lot of those pitches. We hit the ball hard early in this game. The guys worked the count and when they got a good pitch, they didn’t miss.

“It was nice going up 7-0 in the first inning, especially with the guy we had on the mound,” the EHS coach added. “It allowed everybody to settle their nerves and it definitely took some of the stress off.”

McDevitt agreed.

“There was a lot less pressure being up 7-0,” he noted. “But my mindset was the same. I just tried to do the same things I always do. I wanted to keep their hitters off-balance and let the defense make plays behind me. Overall, this was a good team win.”

The only hit McDevitt allowed was a one-out single to Carter Vandever in the second. He did walk six and struck out 10 during his 110-pitch performance. But by the time Troy Triad got on the scoreboard, the Hearts had a commanding 9-0 lead.

Effingham tacked on single tallies in the second and fourth innings.

In the second, Hull lined a pitch down the leftfield line for his second double of the game. He went to third on a fly ball and scored on a wild pitch.

The Hearts’ got a walk and two hit batters in the fourth. Evan Waymoth then got an infield single, driving in the team’s final run of the game.

The Knights scored both of their runs in the top of the fifth, combining two walks, an error and a sacrifice fly. They had three baserunners over the final two innings – all on walks – but were not able to push any of those across the plate. They ended their season at 26-12.

The Hearts, now 20-15, will take their four-game winning streak into the sectional championship game Saturday. They will face Mt. Vernon at 11 a.m. The game will be played at Sprehe Field in Centralia.

The Hearts defeated the Rams 9-7 early in the season, rallying for seven runs over the final three innings to notch their first win.

“It will be a battle,” McNeely admitted. “Mt. Vernon is a good team. They can really play.

“We’re playing our best baseball right now,” McNeely said. “But this is the time of year you want to be doing that. These kids have been working so hard. They love playing baseball and they love being around each other. I’m very proud of this group.”

The winner will advance to the Decatur Super Sectional, which is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m. They will face the winner of the Lincoln Sectional, which will be either Rochester or Chatham Glenwood.