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EDWARDSVILLE - Lexi Griffin's solo home run in the bottom of the third inning set the tone for the rest of the game, as Avery Hamilton, and Ryleigh Owens combined on a three-hit shutout in Edwardsville's 8-0 win over O'Fallon in the IHSA Class 4A softball regional final Thursday afternoon at the Edwardsville Sports Complex.
The Tigers advance to the sectional next week and will host Belleville East, who defeated Collinsville 8-5 on Thursday to win its regional.
Griffin's homer was the first run of a two-run third inning, with the Tigers adding on six more runs in the sixth to put the game away. the big play being Maci McNamee scoring on a passed ball, followed by a Griffin RBI ground out to short that made it 7-0 for Edwardsville.
Tatum Van Ryswyk had two hits and also drove home a run for the Tigers, while Griffin's solo shot to center was her only hit while driving in two runs, Abbie Hall had a hit and an RBI, Sydney Lawrence had a hit and both Hamilton and Brooke Tolle each had an RBI.
Hamilton threw six innings in the circle, allowing two hits while striking out three, and Owens pitched the seventh, giving up a hit while fanning one.
The Tigers are now 21-5 and will host the Lancers in the sectional semifinal Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., with the winner playing the other semifinal between Pekin and Minooka next Thursday afternoon. The sectional winner will play in the supersectional game at Illinois State University's Marian Kneer Softball Stadium in Bloomington-Normal June 14. The Class 4A state tournament is set for June 18-19 at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria.
The Panthers end their season 8-15.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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