The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs wasted no time in establishing control.
And in the postseason, that’s exactly what you want to do.
The Lady Bulldogs sent 15 batters to the plate in the very first inning. They pounded out eight hits, including four for extra bases – and one that left the park altogether.
When the third out was finally recorded, they had scored 11 runs and were on their way to a 17-2, four-inning victory over Sullivan on Tuesday in a semifinal game of the St. Anthony Class 2A Regional.
The big blow of that first-inning explosion was a grand slam off the bat of Laney Coffin. Maddie Kibler, Hailey Niebrugge and Abbi Hatton each had RBI singles and Lily Gannaway added a run-scoring double.
Nine different players collected hits in St. Anthony’s 17-hit attack. Sidney Kibler had three, while Niebrugge, Hatton, Stacie Vonderheide, Coffin, Julia Schultz and Gannaway each had two. Coffin finished with five RBI.
Sidney Kibler pitched the first two innings and got the win. Addie Wernsing pitched the final two frames.
The Lady Bulldogs, who improved to 26-3 on the season, will play for the regional championship Friday. They will face either Pana or Teutopolis at 4 p.m. The game will be played at Bulldog Field.
The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed in the Effingham St. Anthony Class 2A Regional, which will open play on Monday, May 13.
There are six teams in that regional, including the host Teutopolis Lady Shoes, who are the No. 8 seed. The other teams are Shelbyville, Sullivan, Cerro Gordo and Pana.
The winner of the Effingham St. Anthony Regional will advance to the Monticello Sectional, which is scheduled for May 21-24. Winners of the regionals at Normal University, St. Joseph-Ogden and Westville will also advance to the Monticello Sectional.
Here is the schedule for the St. Anthony Regional:
Monday, May 13
Game 1 – 4:30 p.m. – Shelbyville (#11) at Sullivan (#10)
Game 2 – 4:30 p.m. – Cerro Gordo (#12) at Teutopolis (#8)
Tuesday, May 14
Game 3 – 4 p.m. – St. Anthony (#1) vs. Winner Game 1
Wednesday, May 14
Game 4 – 4 p.m. – Pana (#2) vs. Winner Game 2
Friday, May 17
Game 5 – 4 p.m. – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (championship)
The combination of Sydney Kibler and Addie Wernsing on the mound continues to work well.
Coach Makayla Taylor has been throwing Kibler the first four innings and then Wernsing comes in for the final three. That strategy has proved to be quite successful.
That duo combined to limit Flora to just two hits Monday afternoon, helping the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs post a 4-1 victory at home.
Kibler gave up the two hits and the run, while walking three and striking out six. Wernsing came on in the fifth and threw three hitless and scoreless innings. She walked one and fanned five.
The Lady Bulldogs scored two runs in the second inning and those proved to be enough. Sydney Kibler got a one-out single. Courtesy runner Lilly Gannaway then came all the way around to score when Maddie Kibler’s bunt was misplayed for an error. Later in the inning, Stacie Vonderheide also laid down a bunt that brought home the second run.
St. Anthony padded its lead with single tallies in the fourth and sixth. Abbi Hatton belted a solo homer to lead off the fourth and Maddie Kibler delivered an RBI single in the sixth.
The Lady Bulldogs improved to 23-2 on the season. They will now play in the annual City Series against Effingham. That three-game set will be played Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday and Friday’s games will be played at St. Anthony, while Thursday’s game will be at the EHS diamond.
All three games will start at 4 p.m.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
The first three innings, the St. Anthony bats were held in check.
But over the final 10 innings, they pounded six home runs, banged out 31 hits and scored 22 runs.
As a result, the Lady Bulldogs posted a doubleheader sweep over the Effingham Lady Hearts and wrapped up a third straight championship in the annual City Series.
The three-game set was scheduled to begin Wednesday, but rain forced that game to be cancelled. So, a doubleheader was then set for Thursday.
Addie Wernsing’s one-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning gave St. Anthony a walk-off, 5-4 win in the opening game.
The nightcap was a slugfest. The Lady Bulldogs went deep five times and rolled to a 17-7, six-inning victory.
By Steve Raymond
The ET Sports Report
Abbi Hatton drove in four early runs that had the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs seemingly in control.
But it was her defensive play in the sixth inning that just might have saved the game.
With one out and trailing 6-3, Windsor/Stew-Stras had the bases loaded with just one out. Clarissa Johnson then lined what appeared to be a base hit up the middle. But Hatton, who was playing centerfield, got the ball on one hop and fired a strike to the plate.
Instead of at least one run scoring on the play, it turned into a force play. (For those keeping score, it was the rare 8-2 entry.)
Instead of momentum continuing to swing in the Lady Hatchets’ favor, it ultimately squelched the promising rally.
One inning later, the Lady Bulldogs closed out an 8-4 victory for their fourth straight National Trail Conference Softball Tournament championship.
“That play was huge,” St. Anthony coach Makayla Taylor admitted. “We believe the way you practice is the way you play. We practice hard and we practice a lot of game situations. Abbi knew what to do when she got the ball. She made a great throw and it did change the momentum.”
Page 2 of 18
- You are here:
-
Home
-
St. Anthony
- Softball
