Hearts
| 05/02/25 @ Charleston | 9 |
| 05/02/25 @ Charleston | 5 |
| 04/28/25 @ Teutopolis | 11 |
| 04/24/25 vs Glenwood | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Mattoon | 10 |
| + 13 more games |
The Effingham Hearts will face off against the Mater Dei Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Effingham is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.7 runs per game this season.
Mater Dei will be up against a hot Effingham squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Hearts had just enough and edged out Charleston 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Hearts have posted since April 12th.
Effingham got a massive performance out of Ryley Engel, who went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases Engel has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Alyssa Martin, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Effingham kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Mater Dei beat Flora 10-5 on Saturday.
Mater Dei let Maddy Huels and Emma Diekemper run wild. Huels went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while Diekemper went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. That triple was Diekemper's first of the season. Lynn Shirley was another key player, going 1-for-4 with three RBI and one triple.
Effingham's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-6. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Mater Dei, the win got them back to even at 7-7-1.
Mater Dei's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Effingham has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.9 hits per game. It's a different story for Mater Dei, though, as they've been averaging 8.7 hits. Given Effingham's sizable advantage in that area, the Knights will need to find a way to close that gap. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
