Shelbyville's Cara Fite is thrown out trying to advance to third base. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

After placing third during the regular season and proving they could compete with the district powerhouses, Shelbyville's ladies simply ran out of gas down the stretch, scoring but one run over their final 19 innings.

"Like (assistant) coach (Kerry) Thompson said, last night and tonight, wasn't the way we've been playing, wasn't a reflection of this year," Eaglette coach Robin Ayers said.

Ayers returned to don the Blue and Gold as their head coach after logging time as an assistant under Janice Morey until '05 and admitted with a glowing smile and glassy eyes that she thoroughly enjoyed being the skipper of this year's group.

"It's been a wonderful thing," she said. "It's been challenging of course coming from assistant for five years but having the seniors that were freshmen my last year as an assistant has helped because they knew how I was."

The seniors who doubled as a crutch for Ayers in her leading role were Hillary Leftrick, Samantha Dye, Abbi Foster and Daryl Bell, who understandably struggled letting go of their diamond time at Central after the loss.

Shelbyville coach Robin Ayers tries to rally her troops in between innings. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

"I couldn't ask for a better group of seniors, a better group of girls that, in general, have such a big heart," Ayers said.

Shelbyville finished with a final record of 16-12.

For the first three innings, it was a one-run affair with Danielle Fincher plating the initial score after leading off the top half of the second with a double.

Kayla Warren singled in both the first and third innings and Amber Russell dropped in a base knock in the second to give Shelbyville a baserunner in each of the first three frames but they were unable to string anything together.

A two-run double to center field by Jessica Frakes keyed the Lady Wildcat half of the third to push their advantage to 3-0.

Foster and Cara Fite continued the trend of sparking some semblance of a threat for Shelbyville with singles in the fourth and fifth, respectively. Daryl Bell reached via error in the sixth. However, none of the Eaglettes safely reached third base.

Fincher, Kelsey Kemp, Allison Blackwood and Katie Hill all had hits in a three-run fifth for the winners that totally deflated the Eaglettes.

Eaglette catcher Daryl Bell tries to field a low throw as Lawrence County scores a run. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

"They're a hitting team and if you don't hit with them, like Coffee County, you're not going to win," Ayers said. "They hit the ball hard. Even if it wasn't a base hit, even if we made the play, the ball was smokin' hot. Sometimes you make errors when you try to catch a ball that hot. Somebody gets on, somebody gets a double and once you get into that routine, hitting is contagious."

Lawrence County (19-14-1) advances to face Lincoln County with the winner facing the Tullahoma/Coffee County loser.

Ayers has seven juniors set to move into leadership roles in '09.

"There are big shoes to fill with those four (departing seniors) definitely," she said. "But, you always have to look positive toward the future. Then, we have a good group of eighth graders coming up that have been playing together since they were 9."