In the Friday 4A State Semifinal nightcap, No. 2 Edwardsville matched up with Hampshire. Edwardsville, senior right-handed pitcher, Grant Schaefer got the ball for the Tigers and delivered a seven-inning, complete-game, leading Edwardsville to a 2-0 win over Hampshire.

Schaefer, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound, long-bodied right-hander, pitched to the corners of the plate all night long and gave up minimal hard contact throughout. Schaefer finished with 100 pitches on the night, scattered three hits, struck out three and walked two.

Schaefer’s toughest inning of the evening, proved to be the seventh. Hampshire (22-15), who trailed 2-0 entering the frame, made things interesting when Matt Jachec led off with a walk and Gavin Kriegel followed with a line-drive to right field. What looked to be a clean single by Kriegel, turned out to be a 9-3 putout, as Edwardsville right fielder, Blake Burris charged the one-hop line-drive and fired a strike to first base. The throw from shallow right-field was just in time to get Kriegel at first base and changed the dynamic of the inning. Jonathan Mroz would later single to put the tying run on base but Schaefer followed with a strikeout to preserve his shutout and finish off the complete game.

Edwardsville (36-5) jumped on top with a run in the bottom of the first and another in the second. Hayden Moore started off the first when he got hit-by-pitch and was standing on third base when Drake Westcott flew out to deep right field with one out. The sacrifice fly scored Moore easily from third, giving the Tigers the early edge. Josh Ohl lined a base hit to right field to lead off the second inning and after stealing second base, Dalton Wallace grounded a ball through the left side of the infield, scoring Ohl and giving Edwardsville the 2-0 lead, which held the rest of the way.

Both teams were relatively quiet on offense throughout. Hampshire starter, RHP Logan Nespor threw well despite taking the loss. Nespor went six innings on 82 pitches (66% strikes), scattered three hits, two earned runs, struck out three and walked three.

Edwardsville finds themselves in the 4A State Championship for the second time in the last three years (finished second in 2017). The Tigers will take on St. Charles North at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday at the newly named DuPage Medical Group Field in Joliet.

Hampshire will take on St. Rita Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in the 4A third-place game.

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