For the second straight Saturday, the Effingham Hearts received outstanding starting pitching during an Apollo Conference doubleheader.

Unfortunately, this time, Lincoln’s was just a little better.

Starters Wyatt Mammen and Andrew Graue both allowed just one hit during their innings of work and Trent Koehler came in to slam the door in both games, helping the Railsplitters sweep the DH at home.

Lincoln won the opener 2-1 and then completed the sweep with a 4-1 win in the nightcap.

Effingham got very good outings from Josh McDevitt in the first game and Brayden Pals in the second, but the Hearts bats just couldn’t produce enough offense, having a total of five hits in the two games combined.

In the opener, the Railsplitters scored two unearned runs in the fourth after the Hearts had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning. Lincoln got a walk, a base hit and an error to load the bases with just one out. The first run scored on a ground out and the second came home on an RBI single by Jaden Leadley.

Effingham had only one hit in the game – a two-out single by Gauge Massey in the fifth. The Hearts scored their only tally in the fourth without a hit. Joe Matteson walked with one out. Evan Waymoth and Massey were both hit by a pitch to load the bases. John Harper then also walked to force in the run.

In the sixth, with one out, Quest Hull walked and Max Hardiek was hit by a pitch to give the Hearts a good chance to tie the game or even take the lead. But Koehler came in and struck out the final two batters to end the threat and then retired the side in order in the seventh to get the first of his two saves Saturday.

Mammen worked 5.1 innings, allowing just one hit and one earned run, while walking three and striking out 11. McDevitt went 5.2 innings and gave up three hits and two unearned runs. He walked two and struck out 12.

The Hearts also took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning of the nightcap – again without a hit. Camden Raddatz drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on an error.

Lincoln took the lead in the fourth on a two-run double by Alex Hoffert and then combined four hits for two more runs in the fifth.

EHS had just four hits in the second game. Kaiden Nichols and Massey started the contest with back-to-back singles. Matteson had a lead-off double in the fifth and Myles Maxedon had a one-out double in the seventh.

Graue went four innings, giving up two hits and a run, while walking two and striking out five. Koehler worked the final three shutout innings, giving up just two hits and striking out five. Pals worked all six innings. He allowed six hits and four runs, while walking two and fanning eight.

The Hearts dropped to 9-8 overall and 3-5 in the Apollo Conference. They will return home Wednesday to play South Central.

Quest Hull and Andrew Donaldson belted first-inning home runs, helping the Effingham Hearts grab an early lead, en route to an 8-1 victory at Neoga.

The Hearts wasted no time taking control. With one out in the opening inning, Gauge Massey and John Harper received back-to-back walks. Then with two outs, Hull blasted a pitch over the rightfield fence, staking EHS to a 3-0 lead.

But they weren’t finished. An error and then a double by Myles Maxedon put two runners in scoring position. Joe Matteson then had an RBI single, another run scored on a passed ball and Donaldson capped the seven-run frame with a two-run shot that also cleared the rightfield fence.

Camden Raddatz had an RBI single in the second to cap Effingham’s scoring in the game.

Kaiden Nichols went the first 3.1 innings to get the win. He allowed three hits and a run, while walking two and striking out five. Jackson Doedtman and Massey also pitched.

The Hearts improved to 8-6. They will return to action today (Wednesday) with a home game against Casey-Westerfield.

Quest Hull ripped a three-run homer for the second consecutive game, Andrew Donaldson turned in a strong pitching performance in relief and the Effingham Hearts notched their fourth straight victory at home Wednesday with a 15-6 win over Casey-Westfield.

Hull’s three-run blast came in the bottom of the first inning following walks to Kaiden Nichols and Gauge Massey and put the Hearts on top, 3-2.

The Warriors then pushed four runs across in the top of the second, but the Hearts scored the final 12 runs to secure the victory.

Donaldson came on in relief in the second inning and shut the Warriors down. In his four innings of work, he didn’t allow a hit or a run, while walking just one and striking out four to earn the win. Camden Raddatz was the starter and Hull pitched the final two innings.

The Hearts scored a single tally in the third and then took the lead with a six-run fourth. With one out, Myles Maxedon singled, Joe Matteson walked and Gabe Eaton singled to load the bases. Nichols and Harper both walked to force in runs, two runs scored on a pair of errors and Max Hardiek capped the rally with a two-run single.

An error accounted for both EHS runs in the fifth. Casey-Westfield committed four errors that accounted for seven unearned runs in the game. In the seventh, Eaton had an RBI single, Massey a two-run double and the final run scored on a passed ball.

The Hearts improved to 9-6. They will return to action Saturday with an Apollo Conference doubleheader at Lincoln.

Josh McDevitt and Brayden Pals turned in back-to-back shutout performances Saturday, helping the Effingham Hearts post an Apollo Conference doubleheader sweep at home over Mattoon.

McDevitt opened the twin-bill with an 89-pitch, six-inning, two-hit effort, as the Hearts beat the Green Wave 10-0.

It was Pals’ turn in the nightcap, as the senior righthander blanked Mattoon on three hits, while his teammates provided plenty of support in an 8-0 victory.

In the opener, McDevitt allowed only singes in the first and second innings, while walking one and striking out 12. At the plate, Gauge Massey went 3-for-5 and drove in four runs and Joe Matterson added a pair of hits and had a pair of RBI.

Massey had his first two-run single in the second, staking the Hearts to the early lead. They added two more runs in the third and then broke the game open with a four-run fifth.

In that fifth, Myles Maxedon had a one-out single, followed by walks to Matteson and Evan Waymoth to load the bases. Kaiden Nichols then walked to force in a run, Massey delivered another two-run base hit and John Harper capped the inning with sacrifice fly.

Effingham added its final two runs in the sixth to end the game.

In the second game, Pals went seven innings and threw 108 pitches. He allowed just three hits – singles in the first, third and fifth innings – while walking one and striking out 14.

The Hearts took control early, pushing seven runs across the plate in the first inning. Nichols was hit by a pitch, Massey walked and Harper singled to drive in the first run. Camden Raddatz followed with an RBI single and the third run scored on an error.

Quest Hull and Maxedon walked to load the bases and Matterson drove in all three runners with a triple. Nichols capped the inning with an RBI single. Matteson, who drove in four runs in the game, had a run-scoring double in the second.

The Hearts improved to 7-6 overall and 3-3 in the Apollo Conference. They will return to action Tuesday at Neoga.