Softball Recap: Make It Seven in a Row for Effingham

Hearts

Margin (Wins)

05/08/25 @ Taylorville	20
05/08/25 @ Taylorville	20
04/09/25 @ Marshall	12
05/09/25 vs Pinckneyville	10
04/22/25 vs Mattoon	10

Effingham came tearing into Friday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Pinckneyville Panthers get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. The Hearts might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.

Saige Althoff made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and three runs.

In other batting news, Keagyn Koenig was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Ryley Engel, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run.

Effingham was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .480. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .310 or higher in six consecutive contests.

Effingham's victory bumped their record up to 16-6. As for Pinckneyville, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 17-4.

Coming up, Effingham will take on Hutsonville/Palestine in a tournament on Saturday. The Hearts' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Tigers have averaged an impressive 9.6 runs per game this season. As for Pinckneyville, they will be taking part in a tournament against Marshall at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.