NORMAL, Ill. — Final four.
The Effingham Junior High School softball team is two wins away from a state championship after an 8-2 victory over Normal Chiddix in the first round of the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Class 3A State Tournament on Friday at Champion Fields in Normal.
The Mustangs (18-1) trailed 2-0 after the first inning.
Chiddix pitcher Rya Hakes struck out the side to open the game.
Aspen Lynch walked in her first at-bat. Annie Koester then laid down a sacrifice bunt, pushing Lynch to second.
Hakes then hit an RBI single to put Chiddix up, 1-0.
Anna Gerrietts singled and Hanna Miller followed with a base hit, scoring Hakes to make the 2-0 score.
EJHS pitcher Cloie Bailey struck out Norah Kauten and Isis Gradney to end the inning.
The Mustangs responded with one run in the top of the second.
Tinley Patton cranked a solo home run on the sixth offering from Hakes.
Alivia Lauritzen then lined out, Mia Hartke struck out and Sophia Wiedman struck out after back-to-back singles by Mackynzie Hites and Mollie Niemerg.
The Mustangs rolled from there.
Bailey worked a clean bottom of the third.
Effingham plated four runs in the top of the third to lead 6-2 and added two more in the fourth.
Patton went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. Hites went 3-for-4. Madalyn Hoffmann went 2-for-4 with one double, two runs scored and two RBI. Mia Hartke went 2-for-3 with one run scored and two RBI and Niemerg went 2-for-3 with one RBI for the Mustangs.
Lauritzen went 1-for-4 with one run scored and two RBI.
Bailey pitched for Effingham and allowed six hits, two runs and one walk to seven strikeouts over four innings. Kendyl Smith followed and allowed one walk to four strikeouts in three innings.
The Mustangs return to the field at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday for a semifinal matchup against Washington Central. The loser plays for third place at 2:30 p.m., while the winner will play for the state championship at 4:30 p.m.
Kinmundy South Central played Pontiac St. Mary’s at 3:30 p.m. in the Class 1A State Tournament first round. Scores were not available at presstime.