Triton Central’s 20th win of the season netted the softball program’s first regional championship.
On Tuesday in Liberty, Indiana, Brylie Couch stifled Class 2A, No. 10 Union County for eight innings and got enough run support to secure a 4-3 win in eight innings.
Triton Central (20-5) will travel south to the Forest Park Semistate Saturday to face Hauser (24-7) in an 11 a.m. semifinal contest. The second semifinal at Forest Park will feature 2A No. 1 North Posey (26-0) and 2A No. 6 Cascade (24-4).
The semistate championship game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday.
Triton Central, making just its second regional appearance, scored solo runs off Union County starting pitcher Bailey Mathews in each of the first two innings Tuesday to stake Couch to the lead.
Union County countered with a solo run in the third to cut the lead to 2-1.
Both teams scored again in the sixth inning before the Patriots pushed a run across in the seventh to send the game to extra innings.
Jalynn Keith was the only Tiger with two hits in the win. The freshman scored one of TC’s four runs.
Lillie Fillippinie, Hailey Harris and Brooklyn Adkins, who had a solo home run in the win, delivered big hits that produced runs.
Couch struggled to get Auburn-recruit AnnaLea Adams out as most pitchers have this season. Entering the game hitting over .800, the junior had three hits, two doubles and a home run, and scored two runs but Couch limited the rest of the Patriots to just four hits and struck out 16.
Mathews surrendered eight hits and three walks while striking out 10 for Union County.
Triton Central and Hauser did not play each other this season.
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