In dramatic fashion, the Springfield Tigers defeated the Ursuline Irish 9-8 to win their sectional championship game. In the bottom of the sixth inning, down by a score of 8-5, the Lady Tigers scored four runs to take a one run lead and in the top of the seventh, pitcher Josie Applegarth set down the Irish in order to seal the victory. In the bottom of the sixth, Lindsey Druschel and Josie Applegarth led off the inning with back-to-back singles. The next batter, Nikki Bovo, reached on an outfield error, driving in Druschel. After an infield out, freshman Molly Pontius smacked a three run homer to give the Tigers a 9-8 lead and their margin of victory. Druschel also hit a two run homer to go along with three singles, for a total of four hits in the contest. In addition to her game winning home run, Pontius also smacked a single and a double, and also drove in two more runs to give her a total of five RBI. Jacqueline Kish and Nikki Bovo also contributed RBI singles to Springfield’s thirteen hit attack. Cassie Bacon, Marlie Applegarth and Taylor Coy each had a single as well. Springfield improved their season record to 20-3. With the victory, the Lady Tigers advance to the district tournament in South Range, where they will play a district semi-final game against Columbiana High School, next Thursday, May 18, at 3:00 PM.