Marion falls to Effingham in regional championship game

MARION — The Marion Wildcats had no answer for Effingham left-hander Kaiden Nichols. Nichols threw 6-2/3 innings of frustrating baseball, handcuffing and frustrating the Wildcats throughout the game on the way to an 8-1 win in the championship of the Richland County Class 3A Regional. Marion finished its season with a 20-17 record. Effingham advanced to the Centralia sectional, improving to 19-15 with the win. The Wildcats managed just five hits and didn’t score until the bottom of the seventh inning. Marion head coach Kyle Geiger said it was just one of those days.