Gavin Bailey belted a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning Saturday, lifting Mahomet-Seymour to a 4-3 victory over Effingham in the first game of an Apollo Conference doubleheader at Evergreen Hollow Park.
The visiting Bulldogs completed the sweep with a 12-1 win in the nightcap.
In the opener, the Hearts held a 3-0 lead and starting pitcher Kaiden Nichols was cruising along with a three-hit shutout. But with one out in the seventh, Nichols reached his limit of 108 pitches and had to be taken out of the game.
The Bulldogs responded. A single, walk and an error loaded the bases with two outs. And on a 3-2 pitch, Bailey drove the ball over the rightfield fence for what proved to be the game-winner.
Mahomet-Seymour reliever Caden Starrick allowed a two-out hit in the bottom of the seventh, but got the final out to secure the win.
Effingham took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double by Colton Webb. The Hearts added two more tallies in the fourth. Braxton Lewis singled and Braden Verdeyen walked. Kaden Koeberlein drove in the first run with a base hit and the second run came across after a double steal.
Nichols made that stand up through 6.1 innings of work. The lefthander walked just one and struck out 10. Jude Traub relieved first and Koeberlein came in two batters later and took the loss.
EHS also took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame of the nightcap after back-to-back doubles by Spencer Fox and Cam Raddatz. But the Hearts had only one hit the rest of the way, a third-inning single by Nichols.
The Bulldogs put together six-run frames in both the third and fourth to take control. They combined four hits and three errors in the third and then had four hits and three walks in the fourth.
Webb pitched the first three innings for Effingham and took the loss. He allowed six hits and six unearned runs. He walked three and struck out five. Carter Braddy and Raddatz came on in relief.
The Hearts dropped to 9-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference. They will return to action Thursday at North Clay.
The Effingham Hearts used some late scoring to pull away and post a 10-2 win Friday afternoon at home over Dieterich.
The Hearts held a slim 3-2 advantage when they came to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kaiden Nichols led off with a double, went to third on an error and scored on a double steal. Cam Raddatz, who had four hits in the game, then doubled and scored on an RBI single by Brody Boehm to make it a 5-2 EHS lead.
Effingham wrapped up the scoring with a five-run sixth. Kaden Koberlein was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a double by Jude Traub. He eventually scored on a ground out by Spencer Fox. Raddatz then blasted a home run over the left field fence.
But the Hearts weren’t finished. Colton Webb and Boehm both singled and Braxton Lewis walked to load the bases. One run scored on a passed ball and the fifth tally came across on an RBI ground out by Koeberlein.
Peter Rosen started for EHS and pitched the first five innings to get the win. He allowed just three hits and two runs, while walking four and striking out four. Brayden Tucker pitched the final two innings and gave up just one hit.
The Hearts, now 9-2, will be home again today (Saturday). They will host Mahomet-Seymour in an Apollo Conference doubleheader.
By Steve Raymond
The News Report
Unfortunately, there just wasn’t much to cheer about Friday morning.
The Effingham Hearts made an amazing run through the postseason, reeling off five straight victories and accumulating regional, sectional and super sectional championship plaques along the way.
But that streak came to an end Friday morning when the Hearts were dealt a 9-1 setback to Grayslake Central in a semifinal game of the Class 3A State Baseball Tournament, played at Duly Health & Care Field in Joliet.
The Rams, who were making their first state tourney appearance since 2014, jumped ahead early and then extended that lead, eventually owning a nine-run cushion.
The Hearts didn’t get their first hit or only run until the sixth inning.
“This was a learning experience,” said EHS coach Curran McNeely. “For our kids, it opened their eyes a little to the style of baseball they’re going to find at this level. Small things get amplified, especially when you play as good of a team as we did today.”
Small things like hit batters and walks. In addition to banging out nine hits, Grayslake Central received 10 additional baserunners – six via walks plus four hit batters.
And that started immediately.
By Steve Raymond
The News Report
Josh McDevitt knew he’d have his work cut out for him.
Sycamore averaged 10 runs and 12 hits a game, while accumulating 32 wins this season.
All nine starters hit .360 or better, with four of their hitters above .400.
But Effingham’s ace righthander was outstanding. That potent Spartans lineup was kept in check all day. It was no surprise when Sycamore’s long-time coach Jason Cavanaugh said, “that’s the best pitcher we’ve seen all year,” following the game.
The Spartans were still the team celebrating, however. They took advantage of a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday morning to get a walk-off 2-1 win and capture third place in the Class 3A State Baseball Tournament, played at Duly Health & Care Field in Joliet.
“I’m super proud of these kids,” an emotional Effingham coach Curran McNeely said during the press conference. “We kept battling for nine innings. These kids gave it everything they had.”
There were actually two story lines from this contest.
The first was the final pitching performance by McDevitt, who will now take his talents to the University of Missouri.
The second was the inability to get a timely hit or two. The Hearts had plenty of runners on base. They just couldn’t deliver that hit that probably would have made the difference.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
The last time Effingham High School’s baseball team played in the state tournament the game was just a bit different.
There were no turf fields and all the uniforms were wool.
There were no pitch counts, courtesy runners, batting helmets or aluminum bats.
That was in 1942.
Thanks to the 2023 Effingham Hearts, that 81-year state tournament drought is now over.
That was accomplished Monday night when this “refuse to die” team posted a 4-0 victory over Champaign Central to capture the Decatur Super Sectional and earn a berth in the Class 3A State Baseball Tournament.
The Hearts, now 22-15, will face Grayslake Central (33-7) at 10 a.m. Friday at Duly Health & Care Field in Joliet.
Not bad for a team that many figured would be “one and done” when the postseason opened. But this group responded with four straight wins to go along with regional and sectional championship plaques.
Monday night’s win makes it five in a row with even more hardware for the school’s trophy case.
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