MONTGOMERY – The Goshen Lady Eagles went down fighting against the Hatton Hornets in their last game of the AHSAA Class 2A State Tournament.

The Eagles fell 5-2 against the Hornets in seven quick innings on Saturday. Head coach Amy Warrick said it wasn’t a lack of hitting that kept the Eagles out of the game; it was the pop-ups.

“We didn’t strike out,” Warrick said. “Last time we played Hatton we had a lot of strikeouts because that’s a rising-ball pitcher. We just couldn’t seem to get on top of the ball. We went to the short game and I thought that was great. … We rolled the dice. We got the short game going, we just couldn’t get the long game going.”

The Eagles’ two runs in the bottom of the sixth came after a Lizzy Galloway double and singles by Katie Thomas and Fran Warrick loaded the bases.

With the Hatton pitcher surrounded, Tessa Little drove in Galloway and Warrick edging the score to 5-2. The Eagles would leave Warrick on third base after a pop up to the Hatton third baseman from Katlyn Gambe and a pop up to the second baseman from Lexi Ellisor.

“We were hitting her, but we just kept popping up,” Coach Warrick said.

For the two Goshen seniors, Galloway and Warrick, it was the end of a season and high school softball career. Warrick said day in and day out she was thankful for the leadership and support the two seniors had given the team.

“Lizzy has been our leader,” Warrick said. “She had to make a few adjustments and she stepped up and did a fabulous job. She got us through regionals. Fran became amore vocal leader that she needed to be to calm Sydney down on third base and I would hear her reminding her of what plays they needed to make. I was very proud of both of them.”

In an earlier game against the Ider High Hornets, the Eagles’ starting catcher Casey Allen was taken out at homeplate by an Ider base runner. Allen was unable to make a comeback for their match up against Hatton, and eighth grader Lydia Harrison got her second outing behind the plate. Warrick said the eighth-grader and junior varsity player had stepped up to fill a large hole Allen’s injury had left on the field.

“Lizzy pitching to an eighth grade catcher and my catcher not letting one pass ball pass by her was so big,” Warrick said. “Even with our catcher hurt, it took Casey’s bat out of the ball game, but I thought the ladies did well stepping up.”

Harrison was not the only eighth-grader on the field, though. Warrick said Sydney Galloway, third baseman and pitcher for the Eagles, and Kate Warrick, right fielder for the Eagles, had brought great defending to the Eagles’ infield and outfield. Megan Tillery, another eighth-grader pinch ran for Tessa Little.

“I did bring four up from JV, so I brought them because of the fact that I needed the subs,” Warrick said. “These eighth-graders are ball players, though. Those girls were ready to step up there and play ball. Everyone says there’s nothing like getting thrown in the fire at the state tournament as a starting catcher.”

At the beginning of the season, Warrick said her team was going to work on peaking at the right time after their 2014 season left them wanting more. The Eagles played well through the end of their 2014 season, but Warrick said they had tuckered out when it meant the most, regional playoffs.

In the team huddle following the loss to the Hornets, Warrick told her players she already had plans to come back to the state tournament next year and asked if they would be joining her.

“We have summer workouts,” Warrick said. “I coach volleyball also and all these girls mostly play volleyball. We’ll do summer workouts hard, and most of these girls will all be playing volleyball and they also do hitting on their own during the fall. That’s something that will be really good. We have every intent of being here next year. We’ll have a freshman pitcher on the mound, but Alli (Warrick) will have her ready.”