Lucy Fearday tossed a complete game and Cameron Rios collected four hits, helping the St. Anthony Bulldogs post a 7-1 victory Friday afternoon at Arcola.

Rios had three singles and a double, led off three scoring innings with base hits, stole two bases and scored three runs.

Fearday pitched all seven innings, allowing one run and five hits. She walked just one and struck out eight in her 84-pitch performance.

The Lady Bulldogs jumped on top quickly. Rios led off the game with a base hit, stole second and scored when Addie Wernsing followed with a base hit. Maddie Kibler added an RBI single, Alexis Stephens drove home a run with a ground out and another run scored on a wild pitch to give St. Anthony a quick 4-0 lead.

Haley Niebrugge added a run-scoring single in the fifth and the Lady Bulldogs completed the scoring with a two-run seventh. Rios, again, started things with a base hit, then stole second and scored, again, when Wernsing delivered a base hit. Wernsing eventually scored on a ground out by Niebrugge.

St. Anthony improved to 4-1 on the season. The Lady Bulldogs will play today (Saturday) at Altamont and Monday at St. Elmo/Brownstown.

The Charleston Lady Trojans rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh Monday afternoon and came away with a 4-2 softball victory at St. Anthony.

The Lady Bulldogs held a slim 2-1 lead entering the final inning. But Charleston scored the tying run on an error and then got back-to-back RBI singles by Reagan McGahey and Ava Stephens to take the two-run lead.

Charleston pitcher Karah Moore then set down St. Anthony in order in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win.

After the Lady Trojans scored a single tally in the top of the first, St. Anthony responded in the bottom of the frame.

Cameron Rios led off with a base hit and stole second and Addie Wernsing walked. Rios went to third on a fly ball and scored when she and Wernsing pulled off a double steal. Haley Niebrugge then ripped a double to bring home Wernsing.

The pitching of Lucy Fearday didn’t allow Charleston to score again until the seventh. Fearday allowed nine hits overall, while walking just one and striking out six.

The Lady Bulldogs, now 1-1, will play today (Tuesday) at Robinson.

The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs were wearing their hitting shoes Tuesday in Robinson.

The Lady Bulldogs banged out 37 hits and scored 30 runs en route to a doubleheader sweep.

St. Anthony rallied for six runs in the seventh inning to come away with a 12-10 win in the opener and they completed the sweep with an 18-9 victory in the nightcap.

In that first game, St. Anthony trailed 9-6 when it came to bat in the top of the seventh. Alexis Stephens led off with a walk and Anna Faber and Cameron Rios both singled to load the bases. Two runs scored on wild pitches and Sydney Kibler delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 9-9.

Haley Niebrugge and Lucy Fearday then singled to load the bases again. Maddie Kibler’s base hit put the Bulldogs on top and Stephens capped the six-run uprising with a two-run single.

Robinson got a home run from Kori Calvert in the bottom of the seventh, but Fearday struck out the final three batters to secure the win.

Fearday was the winning pitcher. She relieved with two outs in the first inning after Robinson scored five runs. Fearday pitched the final 6.1 innings, allowing five hits and five runs, while striking out nine and not walking a single batter.

Fearday was also 4-for-4 at the plate to lead a 19-hit attack. Rios was 3-for-4 and Sydney Kibler also had a pair of hits and drove in three runs.

In the second game, the Lady Bulldogs scored in every inning but one and collected another 18 hits. St. Anthony scored four runs in the first and two in the second. After not scoring in the third, their run totals in the each of the next four innings were 3, 2, 4 and 3.

Maddie Kibler went 4-for-5 at the plate, Stacie Vonderheide added three hits and Niebrugge, Sydney Kibler, Chloe Stanley, Rios and Fearday each had two. Fearday also drove in four runs.

Addie Wernsing pitched the first five innings to get the win. She allowed six hits and six runs, while walking two and striking out two. Vonderheide pitched the final two innings.

St. Anthony improved to 3-1 on the season. The Lady Bulldogs will play Thursday at South Central.

Makayla Walsh has been named the new girls varsity softball coach at St. Anthony High School.

Coach Walsh is a native of Effingham, and is a 2014 graduate of SAHS. She continued her academic and athletic career at Parkland College for two years and then on to University of Illinois at Springfield. She graduated with a
B.S in Communications from the University of Illinois.

She has a great deal of player development experience. Walsh was an assistant coach for the varsity softball team for the 2018 softball season and head coach for the St. Anthony Junior High School team this past fall.

 “I am grateful and honored to be head coach at my alma mater,” Walsh said. “I hope to build this softball program into something people will remember for a long time, instill a winning culture, and mold girls into great individuals.

“I’m so proud to be a part of the Effingham community, whose support and energy for sports is unbelievable. Most importantly, I’m excited to get to work with my team this upcoming season,” Walsh added.