ʱᱫ— Things started off well for the Kaplan Pirates' offense on Sunday.
But as their championship game progressed, the Pirates’ bats cooled off significantly with runners in scoring position.
That proved to be costly as the Pirates fell 5-4 to the Sterlington Panthers in the Division III select state final at Frasch Park.
“I don't think we played bad," Pirates head coach Brittany LeBouef said. "I think softball's a game of momentum, and they had the momentum, then we had the momentum, and then they had the momentum again. We could never get it back.”
The Pirates were leading Sterlington 4-2 going into the top of the sixth inning, but the Panthers scored three runs on a two-out three-run homer by Neely Kilpatrick in the inning to take the lead, which they didn’t relinquish.
“It’s a state championship game, with two great teams playing and we just got the short end of the stick today,” LeBouef said. “I don't think we have anything to hang our heads over. It was a great season. It's hard to be a state runner-up. It’s hard to make the semifinals or the quarterfinals. Overall, I think we had a great season and our kids fought until the very end.”
Lexi Greene was the losing pitcher after allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits and one walk, while striking out three in seven innings.
“She threw a pretty good game (Sunday). I don't think one pitch defines somebody,” LeBouef said. “We committed a couple of errors, which allowed them to score. She's taken the loss pretty hard. But she's a great player, a great person, and I promise you, we will be back. This is a sour feeling for us.”
Offensively, the Pirates’ top performers were Greene, Emma Sherman, Jenna Duhon and Gabrielle Braus, all of whom drove in runs.
"We left some runners in scoring position, and an extra run or two probably would have sealed the game for us,” LeBouef said. “It just wasn't in the cards for us to win a state championship (Sunday). Our kids didn’t do anything wrong. We just left runners stranded, and that's how it goes sometimes.”