The sixth-seeded Fayette baseball team hosted second-seeded Westran at Estes Field on Tuesday with the opportunity to play for the Class 2 District 7 championship game on the line. Despite a strong pitching performance and timely defensive plays, Fayette fell 2-1 in the semifinals to their former longtime Lewis & Clark Conference rivals to end the season.

After a scoreless first inning, Westran scored a run in the bottom of the second. Fayette avoided a deeper deficit as junior pitcher Ethan Bean got out of a bases-loaded jam, striking out the Hornet batter for the third out and stranding three runners on base.

The Falcons faced the same situation in the bottom of the third inning. After Westran scored a run, Bean again struck out the Westran batter with bases loaded, keeping the Falcons within reach.

“Ethan threw a great game. We planned to go with him as long as we could tonight,” Fayette coach Andy Oeth explained. “He did have a few walks, but then really responded and threw some great pitches at crucial times to shut them down.”

The Falcon defense stiffened while their bats remained cool, keeping the score 0-2 until the top of the sixth inning. The top of Fayette’s line-up came up, with junior catcher Payton Oeth leading off the inning with a sharp single into left field. Senior shortstop Kaleb Friebe then put the ball in play, reaching first on a fielder’s choice as Oeth was thrown out at second base.

With Bean at the plate, Friebe advanced to second on a passed ball. Bean then put the ball in play and was thrown out at first, but Friebe advanced to third with two outs. Senior outfielder Thomas Elliot then singled to right field, scoring Friebe as Fayette trimmed the Westran lead to 2-1 with two outs.

“We knew coming in this was going to be a close game and that every run would be tough to come by,” Coach Oeth said. “Our guys put the ball in play, and Thomas had a great hit to score Kaleb, which gave us a boost to finish the game strong.”

The following Fayette batter struck out, and they couldn’t score in the top of the seventh as their season ended. Their overall record was 6-17 after an early stretch of losses. But the Falcons finished strong, going 5-6 over their final 11 games.

“I’m very proud of how our team progressed over the year, particularly in these last three games,” Coach Oeth said. “Our defense really stepped up from how we were performing early in the season.”

Coach Oeth spoke highly of his four seniors. “Thomas Elliot is such a leader, and it will be hard to replace him. He isn’t always the most vocal, but he’s a great teammate on and off the field.

“Kaleb Friebe is a great athlete who is always going, always talking, and keeping people in place.

“Jacob Wood is an incredible athlete, and he’ll be playing college football next year. I wish I had another year with him as he keeps improving.

“Dustyn Stark went out this season for the first time and wasn’t afraid to put himself into a new position. He did everything he could to get better in the time we had, and I’m going to miss him for sure.”

Coach Oeth called senior manager Kate Hutchinson the team’s unsung hero. “She’s been keeping our book for three years and has great recall skills. Before we even ask, she tells us what the batter did last time he was up and is super focused on details. I’m definitely sad to see her go.”

In his third year as head coach at Fayette, Oeth said he expected his team to be at a different level record-wise. “We prepared our season to try and win districts. We certainly would have liked more wins as we went, but we were playing very good ball here at the end, and I’m proud of what we accomplished. We’ve got several good pitchers returning next year, and we’re going to find a way to get our bats going. The future looks bright.”

Westran went on to defeat top-seeded Salisbury 5-4 on Wednesday night to claim the Hornets’ first district title since 2016. They face Class 2 District 8 champion Eugene, which defeated Harrisburg 5-3 for the title on Wednesday. The two teams faced off in the state sectionals on Monday night, with Eugene pulling out the 3-0 victory to advance to the state quarterfinals tonight (Wednesday) against Scotland County in Memphis, Mo.