The Effingham Hearts will venture away from home to take on the Flora Wolves at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Effingham will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
20 must be Effingham's lucky number: they beat Taylorville with that score not once but twice on Thursday. The Hearts didn't even let the Tornadoes on the board, marking the Hearts' second-straight 20-0 shutout. The Hearts might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by seven runs or more this season.
Not much got past Natalie Armstrong, who gave up just five hits to keep Taylorville off the board. Armstrong has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Saige Althoff and Sidney Donaldson did most of the damage at the plate: Althoff went a perfect 5-for-5 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs, while Donaldson went 4-for-6 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. That's the most hits Donaldson has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Maci Hayes, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Effingham kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 21 hits. They are a perfect 10-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Edwards County typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Flora proved too difficult a challenge. They had just enough and edged out the Lions 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Wolves have posted against the Lions since March 29, 2017.
Effingham pushed their record up to 14-6 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Flora, they now have a winning record of 10-9.
Effingham skirted past Flora 3-2 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hearts since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
