On Friday night at Evergreen Hollow Park in Effingham, it was a packed house including the outfield walls lined with spectators in their lawn chairs and some in cars and trucks. Those spectators were treated to an entertaining softball game to determine a tournament champion of the Nation Trail Conference. When all was said and done, it was the Bulldogs of St. Anthony the top dawgs in the conference once again with the 8-4 victory over the Hatchets of Windsor Stew-Stras.
St. Anthony got the bats going early in the bottom of the first with Addie Wernsing and Haliey Niebrugge the second and third batters of the game reaching base. Abbi Hatton would pick up a base hit to bring in Wernsing to get the Bulldogs on the board first. Maddie Kibler would single to right field to bring in two more runs for St. A to make it 3-0 after one.
Stew Stras would get one back in the top half of the second. Kendra Hayes began the frame with a base hit. Ella Kinkelaar would triple in Hayes to cut the deficit to 3-1.
St. Anthony would respond with three more though in the bottom of the second. The action all started with two outs and a ten pitch at bat from St. A lead off hitter Ady Rios. Rios finally won the battle and got on base. Wernsing and Niebrugge would follow suit with base hits to load them up for their clean up hitter. Just who the Bulldogs would want up with the bases loaded, future EIU Panther Abbi Hatton. Hatton would delver with a bases clearing double to make it 6-1 Bulldogs.
Hatchets would get a couple runs back in the top of the fourth. Clarissa Johnson doubling to bring in a pair to make it 6-3. Stew looked to keep the momentum going but a double play ended the inning to limit the damage.
Top of the sixth the Hatchets had something going again all started by a one out base hit by catcher Erin Althoff. A base hit by Kendra Hayes and a bunt hit for Ellie Wittenberg loaded the bases for Windsor. Johnson was up and hit a floater into centerfield the ball dropped in front of Hatton, who had switched from first base to center on the pitching change for St. A. Hatton fielded the ball and threw a strike to home plate to get the force and stopping a run from scoring. Kinkelaar would pop out to end the threat.
The Bulldogs would pick up some insurance runs in the bottom half of the sixth. Staci Vonderheide got on base and was brought around to score on a triple by Rios to make it 7-3. A wild pitch would bring Rios on home to make it 8-3.
Three more outs for St. A to close the tournament out but yet again Stew did not go quietly into the night. Sam Hayes who pitched an outstanding game for the Hatchets drove in a run with her bat to cut the deficit to 8-4. The game would end with Althoff grounding out and the runner on base being forced out to end the game.
Sydney Kibler picked up the win in the circle for the Bulldogs and Wernsing came in an picked up the save pitching the final three innings. Sam Hayes took the loss in the circle for Stew Stras pitching a complete game for the Hatchets.
St. Anthony improve to 22-2 on the season and Windsor Stew Stras falls to 12-10.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| W/SS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| St. Anthony | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | x | 8 | 10 | 2 |
St. Anthony Stats
Hatton 2-3 4 RBIs, Maddie Kibler 1-3 2 RBIs, Rios 2-4 1 RBI
Winning Pitcher Sydney Kibler 4.0 innings 3 hits 3 runs 1 earned 2 bb 4 ks
Wernsing 3.0 innings 4 hits 1 earned run 1 bb 1 k
W/SS Stats
Johnson 1-3 2 RBIs, Sam Hayes 1-4 1 RBI, Kinkelaar 1-3 1 RBI
Losing Pitcher Sam Hayes 6.0 inninga 10 hits 8 runs 5 earned 1 bb 5 ks
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