“Emma is our power hitter,” EHS coach Jerry Trigg said. “She’s a solid hitter that’s going to be aggressive every time. We’ve had some success with the long ball this season. This was Emma’s fifth homer run and Tori (Budde) and Taylor both have three. It all goes back to being aggressive and hitting strikes.”

The Lady Bulldogs got within 6-3 in the third, but the Lady Hearts put up three runs in both the fourth and the seventh to stay in control.

“Once we got the lead, we relaxed, had fun and just played the game,” Trigg noted. “I was happy to see us tack on more runs after that big second inning. We’ve been doing a pretty good job lately of getting ahead and then tacking on more.

“The key for us is being aggressive and hitting that first strike,” Trigg added. “You know the pitcher wants to throw a strike and get ahead, so why not be ready for it. Being passive in the batter’s box is never a good thing. Staying aggressive is what we want.”

Despite the gap in the final score, the hits were almost even. EHS finished with 12, while St. Anthony had 11.

“We hit the ball well. We just didn’t have the timely hitting,” said St. Anthony coach Makayla Walsh, who played for the Lady Bulldogs the last time they won the City Series in 2014. “It seemed like we had a hit or two almost every inning. We just couldn’t keep it going.

“They definitely had more timely hitting than we did, plus their aggressive running game helped them keep the momentum,” Walsh added. “Momentum is huge in softball.”

Anna Faber led off the bottom of the third with a double. The Lady Bulldogs had runners at second and third with two outs when Lucy Fearday’s ground ball was misplayed, allowing one run to score. Sydney Kibler then blooped a base hit behind first base and two more runners scored to trim the lead to 6-3.

But the Lady Hearts responded with a three-run fourth. Bushur got things going with a triple. With one out, Davis blooped a double down the leftfield line, driving in Bushur. Davis went to third on a base hit by Hardiek and scored on a double steal. Jacy Boatman capped the inning with an RBI double.

EHS tacked on three more tallies in the seventh. Bushur drove home a pair with a double and eventually scored on a fly ball by Davis.

Davis led Effingham’s attack with three hits, while Bushur, Riley Cunningham and Abby Cunningham each had two. Hardiek, Davis and Bushur all had three RBI in the game.

Faber was 3-for-3 for St. Anthony, while Cameron Rios, Haley Niebrugge and Sydney Kibler each had two hits.

Davis went the distance to get the win for Effingham. She allowed 11 hits and four runs. She didn’t walk a batter and struck out four. Addie Wernsing went the first five innings for St. Anthony. She gave up nine hits and nine runs, while walking four and striking out one.

St. Lady Bulldogs dipped to 7-5 on the season.

“We’re disappointed, but we have so much talent coming up, we’re going to be fine,” Walsh said. “I don’t have a senior on the team. The future is bright for this program.”

The Lady Hearts improved to 11-3.

Game 3 of the City Series will be at 4 p.m. today (Friday) at the Effingham High School softball diamond.

“Winning the City Series is great for the kids,” Trigg said. “They always get excited about it. Plus, there’s a little more pressure with these games. It prepares them for what the postseason will be like.”