Effingham came tearing into Friday's match with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They had just enough and edged the Flora Wolves out 3-2. That's more bragging rights for Effingham, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.
Saige Althoff spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on three hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Effingham's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Ryley Engel, who scored two runs while going 1-for-4.
On Flora's side, Halle Kitley was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 18 over 8.2 innings pitched. Kitley was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.
Even though they lost, Flora didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 18 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Effingham only tossed six.
Effingham is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 19-6 record this season. As for Flora, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 11-11.
Effingham has the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome Pinckneyville at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Effingham: 3.5, Pinckneyville: 3.3) so any runs scored will be well earned. As for Flora, they will head out on the road to take on St. Anthony at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. St. Anthony will roll in looking for their tenth straight victory, something Flora surely won't give up without a fight.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
