What a game for Collyn Ballard.

He belted a grand slam and then a three-run shot to drive in seven runs and lead the North Clay Cardinals to a 10-2 win at home Tuesday over Teutopolis.

North Clay got two hits and a walk to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the second. Ballard then sent a 3-2 pitch sailing over the leftfield fence to stake the hosts to a 4-0 lead.

The Cardinals led 5-1 when they came to bat in the fifth. After two singles to start the inning, Ballard struck again, blasting the first pitch he saw over the centerfield fence for a three-run homer. Later in the inning, Bryton Griffy added a two-run blast.

Both of the THS runs came via the long ball as well. Sam Bushur went deep in the third and Derek Konkel added a solo shot in the seventh.

Cade Buehnerkemper started for the Shoes. He was touched for three hits and four runs in 1.2 innings of work. Ben Goeckner, Peyton Tegeler, Caleb Siemer and Garrett Gaddis also pitched.

Donnie Zimmerman turned in a complete game for the Cardinals, who improved to 23-3. Zimmerman allowed four hits and two runs, while walking two and striking out seven. He is now 7-0 this spring.

The Shoes dropped to 15-8 on the season. They will play Friday and Saturday at the Tiger Classic in Edwardsville.

Derek Konkel and Dylan Pruemer allowed only one unearned run in two games, helping the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes post a pair of wins at home Friday night.

Konkel went 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and one unearned tally, as the Shoes posted a 9-1 win over Marshall in the opener of the three-game round robin.

After Pleasant Plains got by Marshall 8-7 in Game 2, Pruemer took the mound for the Shoes and blanked Pleasant Plains on just three hits in five innings. T-Town had plenty of offense, rolling to a 10-0 victory.

Evan Waldhoff pitched 1.1 innings of hitless baseball in relief of Konkel, who reached his pitch limit in the fifth. Combined, the three hurlers allowed nine hits, while walking just one and striking out 17 in 12 total innings of work.

In the first contest, the Shoes scored singled tallies in each of the first three innings, added four in the fourth and closed out their scoring with a two-run sixth.

In the fourth, Pruemer and Garrett Gaddis walked and Konkel was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With two outs, Sam Busher delivered a two-run double and Cade Buehnerkemper followed with a base hit that drove in two more.

In the nightcap, it was a five-run second that put the Shoes in control. After Buehnerkemper had an RBI single in the opening inning, Konkel start the second by reaching base after strike three got away from the Pleasant Plains catcher. T-Town proceeded to score five times on just two hits.

Max Niebrugge had a single and Bushur reached on an error to load the bases. Buehnerkemper, Pruemer and Caleb Siemer each drew bases-loaded walks to force in three of the runs and Kayden Althoff had a two-run single.

THS added three runs in the third, one scoring on a Mitch Althoff RBI single, and closed the gap with a single tally in the fifth thanks to three walks and an error.

The Shoes improved to 14-7 on the season. They will play at home again Monday against Effingham. Game time is 4:30 p.m.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

When the lead-off hitter comes to the plate for the third time – and the game is only in the second inning – that’s a great sign for a team.

Such was the case Monday afternoon in Teutopolis.

T-Town’s lead-off hitter Sam Bushur had three hits and three RBI and the final out of the second inning hadn’t been recorded yet.

Two of Bushur’s hits and all three RBI were part of a 10-run second inning that propelled the Wooden Shoes to an 11-0, five-inning win at home over the Effingham Flaming Hearts.

“It’s a great feeling if your lead-off batter is up for the second time in the second inning,” THS coach Justin Fleener noted. “But a third time is really good. You don’t see that very often.”

Bushur was the catalyst for the first-inning run, ripping an 0-1 pitch to the fence in left-centerfield for a lead-off double. He scored on an error.

It was the second inning that blew the game open. Caleb Siemer and Derek Konkel had back-to-back singles and Caleb Bloemer walked to load the bases. Bushur then grounded an 0-2 pitch between third and short, driving in the first two runs of the inning. When the ball was misplayed in the outfield, the third run scored and Bushur ended up at second base.

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The Mattoon Green Wave scored three first-inning runs and made them stand up, en route to a 4-1 win at home Thursday over Teutopolis.

The Wooden Shoes had plenty of scoring chances, but stranded 11 base runners, including seven over the final three innings.

In the opening inning, Kaiden Rice had an RBI double, Cayden Knierim added a run-scoring single and Zach Wetzel lifted a sacrifice fly to stake Mattoon to the early 3-0 lead. The Green Wave added a single tally in the third.

T-Town finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth. Mitch Althoff led off with a single, Dylan Pruemer walked and both runners moved up a base on a balk. The run scored on a sacrifice fly by Caleb Siemer.

The Shoes had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth, but failed to score. They also left a pair of runners stranded in the sixth and seventh.

Sam Bushur pitched the first four innings and took the loss. He allowed five hits and four runs, while walking one and striking out three. Ben Goeckner pitched the final two innings.

The Shoes dropped to 12-7 on the season. They will play two games today (Friday) at home. THS is scheduled to play Marshall at 4:30 p.m. and Pleasant Plains at 7:30 p.m.