Quest Hull used both his bat and his arm to help the Effingham Hearts win their postseason opener Thursday afternoon.
Hull went 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in four runs and also pitched six strong innings to lead the Hearts to a 9-2 win over Charleston in the completion of a semifinal game of the Class 3A Centralia Regional.
The game actually started Wednesday in Centralia, but was stopped due to rain in the top of the second inning. The game resumed Thursday and was played at Evergreen Hollow Park in Effingham.
The Hearts built a 7-0 lead through five innings, with four of those runs drive in by Hull.
On Wednesday, EHS took the lead with a three-run first. Kaiden Nichols walked, John Harper got his first of four hits and Max Hardiek was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The first run scored on a passed ball and Hull then delivered a two-run double.
After Charleston got a lead-off walk to start the second, the rains came and ultimately forced the game to be delayed until Thursday.
The Hearts then took control with a three-run third. Gauge Massey walked, Harper singled and both runners moved up a base on a ground out. Hull then came through with a two-run single and Camden Raddatz capped the inning with the RBI single.
Effingham scored a single tally in the fifth when Nichols walked with the bases loaded. The Trojans scored their only two runs in the sixth. An error and two singles accounted for the two unearned runs.
The Hearts wrapped up the scoring with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Harper singled and eventually scored on an error. Raddatz then added an RBI triple.
Josh McDevitt was the starter on Wednesday and threw 22 pitches. Hull took over the pitching duties Thursday and turned in a stellar six-inning performance. He allowed only three hits and the two unearned runs. He walked one and struck out nine, while throwing 83 pitches.
The Hearts, the No. 4 seed, improved to 16-12. They will play for the regional championship at 11 a.m. Saturday in Centralia. They will face Mattoon, the No. 9 seed, who upset top-seeded Marion in the first game Wednesday.
Camden Raddatz drove in five runs – all in the final two innings – helping the Effingham Hearts rally from a six-run deficit to post a 14-7 win Friday afternoon at Bethalto Civic Memorial.
The Eagles built a 7-1 lead after five innings. But the Hearts then exploded offensively, banging out 12 hits and scoring 13 runs over the final two frames to come back and get the win.
And Raddatz had two of the big hits.
In the sixth, Quest Hull and Joe Matteson started the surge with lead-off singles and Raddatz then drove a 1-1 pitch over the leftfield fence for a three-run homer.
But the Hearts were just getting started. Gabe Eaton and Kaiden Nichols then singled, and with two outs, a Civic Memorial error allowed two runs to score. After Max Hardiek walked, Hull and Matteson both delivered RBI singles to cap the seven-run frame and put EHS on top, 8-7.
The Hearts came right back with six more tallies in the seventh. Eaton doubled, followed by an error and a base hit by Gauge Massey to load the bases. John Harper walked to force in one run, Hardiek then came through with a two-run single, Hull followed with an RBI hit and Raddatz capped the scoring with a two-run single.
Harper, Hull, Matteson and Raddatz each had three hits to lead the 17-hit attack.
Hull, the third pitcher of the day for Effingham, got credit for the win. He relieved in the fourth and pitched 1.2 innings. Nichols came on and pitched the final two innings to earn the save. He didn’t allow a baserunner and struck out two.
The Hearts improved to 15-12. They were scheduled to play a doubleheader at home today (Saturday) against Centralia.
The Hearts will then open postseason play Wednesday. They are seeded No. 4 in the Class 3A Centralia Regional. They will face Charleston, the No. 5 seed, at 6 p.m.
Pitching and defense, alone, will keep teams in a baseball game.
Throw in some timely hitting and that team becomes very difficult to beat.
The Effingham Hearts have proven that the last two nights.
After Josh McDevitt threw a two-hit shutout Wednesday, Quest Hull turned in another outstanding pitching performance Thursday.
That pitching, plus John Harper’s two-run homer and catcher Joe Matteson throwing out three runners proved to be a winning combination, helping the Hearts to a 6-2 win over St. Anthony and the championship of the annual City Series.
“This is exciting for those guys on the field,” EHS coach Curran McNeely said. “They’ve worked their tails off. This is something they’ll never forget.”
The Hearts, who were swept in last year’s series, will try to return the favor when the two teams meet in Game 3 tonight (Friday) at Paul Smith Field. Game time is 7 p.m. The City Series began in 1981.
Once again, it was the pitching that set the tone for Effingham. Hull scattered four hits and allowed just single tallies in the fifth and seventh. He walked six and struck out six in his 104-pitch performance.
Luke Darling smacked a two-run homer in the first inning and that proved to be enough offensive support, as the Highland Bulldogs posted a 6-1 win Tuesday afternoon in Effingham.
The Hearts scored a single tally in the bottom of the first, but that was all the runs they had. They finished with just four hits in the game.
The Bulldogs added two more runs in the third and tallied twice in the fourth.
EHS got its run when Kaiden Nichols led off with a single and Gauge Massey was hit by a pitch. Nichols eventually scored on a ground out by Quest Hull.
Brayden Pals pitched the first three innings and took the loss. He allowed five hits and four runs, while walking three and striking out three.
The Hearts dipped to 14-12. They will travel to Bethalto and face Civic Memorial on Friday.
Josh McDevitt turned in a dominating pitching performance Wednesday, leading the Effingham Hearts to a 4-0 victory over St. Anthony in the opening game of the annual City Series, played at Paul Smith Field.
The junior righthander allowed just two hits and two walks in his 106-pitch performance. He also struck out six.
“That’s one of the better games he’s pitched,” EHS coach Curran McNeely said. “He trusted his defense and battled when he had to. When he’s around the plate with all three of his pitches and trusts the guys behind him, he’s usually going to go six or seven good innings. I’ve very proud of his effort tonight.”
The Hearts scored what proved to be the winning run in the opening inning. Kaiden Nichols reached on an error, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored when John Harper grounded a base hit to rightfield.
“That early run was huge,” McNeely admitted. “We had to work hard to manufacture that run. John put a good swing on it and got the ball through the infield.”
After that, McDevitt and St. Anthony’s Eli Levitt locked up in a good pitcher’s duel. It stayed 1-0 until the Hearts came to bat in the sixth.
Gauge Massey and Harper singled and Quest Hull followed with a base hit up the middle that brought in Massey and sent Harper to third. Max Hardiek’s ground ball brought home the second run and the final tally scored on an error.
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