Ashlynn McPeak belted a three-run homer and Karah Moore made that stand up, as the Charleston Lady Trojans posted a 4-3 win at home Saturday in the opening game of a softball doubleheader with Effingham.

The Lady Trojans went deep three more times in the nightcap and completed the sweep of the twin-bill with a 14-10 decision.

In the first game, back-to-back-to-back singles by Tori Budde, Riley Cunningham and Abby Cunningham accounted for a run and tied the score at 1-1 in the second inning.

But in the bottom of the second, Charleston received two walks and then McPeak delivered a two-out blast that cleared the leftfield fence and put the hosts on top to stay, 4-1.

The Lady Hearts closed to within one run in the third. Jaidi Davis walked and Emma Hardiek sent a pitch over the centerfield fence for a two-run homer.

But Moore then set down 12 of the final 13 batters to secure the win. Effingham’s only base runner in the final four innings came when Sawyer Althoff had a one-out double in the fifth.

Davis pitched all six innings and took the loss. He allowed seven hits and four runs, while walking four and striking out eight.

The second game proved to be a slug-fest as the two teams combined for six home runs, 24 total runs and 25 hits.

After Reagan McGahey’s three-run homer in the second, Charleston owned a 5-1 lead. But the Lady Hearts responded with a five-run third.

Grace Bushur led off with a base hit and Althoff reached base on a dropped third strike. Davis drove in the first run with a ground ball and the second run scored on an error. Tori Budde then belted a two-run homer and Riley Cunningham made it back-to-back-jacks with a solo shot to give EHS a 6-5 lead.

The Lady Trojans scored three runs in the bottom of the third, but Effingham came right back with three of its own. Budde had a two-run single in that inning.

Charleston responded again, putting up three runs in the fourth, two more in the fifth and tacked one more on the board in the sixth.

Davis relieved in the fourth and took the loss. Taylor Armstrong pitched the first three innings.

The Lady Hearts dropped to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in the Apollo Conference. They will play Tuesday at Taylorville.

The Effingham Lady Hearts exploded for 10 runs in the second inning Monday afternoon, en route to an 18-1, four-inning victory at home over Neoga.

Effingham scored an unearned run in the first inning and then erupted in the second. The Lady Hearts combined five hits, five walks and two errors to push 10 runs across the plate.

Emma Hardiek had the big hit in the inning, blasting a three-run homer. Grace Bushur added a two-run single, Sawyer Althoff had an RBI single and two runs scored on bases loaded walks.

EHS tacked on two more runs in the third and then scored five in the fourth. Natalie Lohman had an RBI single in the third and then added a two-run base hit in the fourth. Bushur also had a two-run single in that fourth inning.

Jaidi Davis was the winning pitcher. She went four innings and allowed just one hit and one unearned run. She walked three and struck out six.

The Lady Hearts, now 6-1, are scheduled to play Friday at Flora and Saturday at Charleston.

The Effingham Lady Hearts blasted four home runs in the first two innings Friday and went on to post their seventh straight victory, an 11-0, five-inning decision at Flora.

Torri Budde went deep twice and drove in five runs in the game, while Emma Hardiek belted a three-run homer and Jaidi Davis added a two-run shot.

And it started early.

Grace Bushur singled to start the game, stole second and third base and scored on an error. Sawyer Althoff and Davis both walked ahead of Hardiek’s three-run blast to make it 4-0 after just four batters. Taylor Armstrong then walked and Budde slammed a two-run homer over the centerfield fence to stake the Lady Hearts to a 6-0 lead.

But they weren’t finished.

Davis got into the long-ball barrage after Althoff walked in the second inning. Then with two outs, Armstrong singled and Budde followed with her second round-tripper, this time over the rightfield fence, to make it 10-0.

Budde collected her fifth RBI in the fifth. Her base hit drove in Armstrong, who had ripped a double.

That run support was more than enough for Davis. She pitched 4.1 innings of no-hit, shutout softball. She walked just one and struck out six. Armstrong recorded the final two outs, but did give up a single.

The Lady Hearts are now 7-1. They will play today (Saturday) at Charleston.

The Effingham Lady Hearts opened Apollo Conference play in impressive fashion Saturday.

They scored 13 runs, banged out 19 hits and received a pair of strong pitching performances, which led to a doubleheader sweep at Lincoln.

Jaidi Davis scattered seven hits and got by with issuing seven walks in the opener. She also drove in what proved to be the winning run in the Lady Hearts’ 3-1 win.

In the nightcap, Emma Hardiek belted a home run and drove in four runs, and Taylor Armstrong allowed only run, leading EHS to a 10-1 decision and the sweep of the twin-bill.

In the first game, Grace Bushur reached base on a dropped third strike, stole second and third and scored on a ground ball by Sawyer Althoff to give the Lady Hearts a 1-0 lead in the opening inning.

It stayed that way until the fifth. With two outs, Althoff singled, stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on an RBI single by Davis. Riley Cunningham delivered a run-scoring double in the sixth to complete the scoring.

The Lady Railers had plenty of chances to score, but left 14 runners stranded. That included leaving the bases loaded in the first and sixth. Davis recorded key outs when she needed to, including 10 strike outs.

In the second contest, the Lady Hearts broke on top early, scoring three runs in both the first and second innings.

Four doubles accounted for the three runs in the opening frame. Bushur, Davis, Hardiek and Jacy Boatman all had two-baggers as the Lady Hearts broke out to a 3-0 lead.

In the second, EHS put together a two-out rally. Althoff singled, Davis was hit by a pitch and Hardiek followed with a three-run blast that sailed over the centerfield fence.

The Lady Hearts added four more runs in the fourth. Armstrong’s RBI double and Daelyn Dunston’s two-run single were the key hits.

Armstrong pitched all five innings to get the win. She allowed seven hits and one run, while walking one and striking out three.

The Lady Hearts improved to 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in the conference. Only the first game of a doubleheader between Apollo Conference teams counts toward the conference standings. Effingham will play at home Monday against Neoga.