EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High sophomore softball player Grace Oertle was one of the heroes for her team when she slammed a three-run first-inning home run in the Tigers' 7-4 IHSA Class 4A regional final win over Belleville West on May 23, 2024, at the Edwardsville Sports Complex.
Oertle hit a three-run homer off the top of the fence in left-center field that bounced over to start the Tigers off on the right foot Edwardsville then scored four times in the second.
After the regional championship, Oertle was hitting .368, going 32-of-67, with two home runs and 22 RBIs. She was one of the hottest hitters for the Tigers late in the season.
Grace is a Spencer Homes Female Athlete of the Month for the Tigers.
"It was a good outcome, and it's a good feeling to win regionals for the seventh time in a row," she said after that big game.
Oerlte's homer came about on a pitch that was right inside her wheelhouse, and she knew exactly what to do with the ball once it got to the plate.
"It was my good inside pitch that I love," Oertle said "So, I saw it, I turned on it, and it was a good feeling. It felt amazing."
Again, congrats to Grace on her efforts to help propel the Tigers to a regional softball title and the Spencer Homes Female Athlete of the Month accolade.
