Minutes before the Lady Falcons’ first playoff game against A.C. Reynolds, the team struggled to come to a decision on who would play catcher. Their usual catcher, Michaela Morris, had been hospitalized after the previous day’s practice with a serious injury.

Knowing the team needed her, sophomore Kristen Gass stepped up to play catcher.

Although Gass performed well in her new position and senior Laurel Koontz was strong on the pitcher’s mound, the Lady Rockets jumped out to an early lead.

They scored eight runs in the first six innings before the Lady Falcons came alive in the seventh inning to score two runs.

The team lost the playoff game, 8-2, finishing the season with an overall record of 11-11.

“Even though we didn’t win in the playoffs, I still really enjoyed going,” Gass said. “We played well together and worked great as a team. I think the season went really well. As a team I want us to get further in playoffs next year and get better every game we play.”

The team qualified for playoffs as a wild card. Out of the 64 top teams in the state, 32 from the East and 32 from the West, the first and second teams in conferences were automatically in playoffs. The others were placed into a pool where the highest ranked teams were selected to play.

“It was a learning season for us because everyone needed to step up, and we just had moments where things fell through,” senior Laurel Koontz said. “Next year they’ll know how to step up for themselves from the start.”

Koontz ended her last season with nearly 150 strikeouts, a personal record. The team hopes to make improvements for next season.

“I hope if they play in the fall and they workout every day, they’ll get a little bit better, and we will make progress,” Coach Mike Matthews said. “I want them to have fun because after all it’s just softball.”

By Natalya Lunsford