The South Effingham Lady Mustangs softball team is headed back to Columbus.

The Lady Mustangs earned one of the four spots in the Class AAA South Sectionals at Dublin’s Southern Pines Park for the Elite Eight, which begins Thursday at the South Commons Complex.

The Lady Mustangs, after winning twice Friday, fell 4-1 to Northside-Columbus, but bounced back with a 10-0 romp over Eagles Landing. Northside and Harris County captured the top two spots coming out of the sectional and Hardaway secured the other spot after beating Harlem 14-0 in the final loser’s bracket game.

The Lady Mustangs (25-11-1) will open the Class AAA state tournament Thursday at noon against Oconee County, with the winner facing the winner of the Northside-Columbus/Sandy Creek game at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Oconee (32-3), the three-time defending Class AAA state champs, beat South Effingham 4-3 earlier this year.