Floyd County High School’s Lady Buffaloes softball team qualified to the state tournament and a chance to repeat as Virginia champs late Thursday night with a convincing 16-4 win over John Battle in the Group 2A regional semi-finals in Lee County in far Southwestern Virginia.

The team meets Dan River Friday in the regional final but — win or lose — the team plays in the state tournament next week.

Pitching ace Christine Phillips, limited the John Battle Trojans to eight hits while the Lady Buffs pounded out 20 along with a home run by Karlee Pendleton.

The win gives the Lady Buffs a 19-4 record for the season so far,