The Fayette Lady Falcons concluded their season with two of their best games all year, ultimately falling to No.1 ranked and defending Class 2 state champion Carrollton 2-0 in the semifinals of the Class 2 District 8 Tournament in Harrisburg on Thursday.

The entirely respectable loss followed an 11-7 nail-biting win over longtime rival Westran in the tournament opener on Wednesday.

Fayette ends the season 15-10 overall, falling short of the 20-win mark after winning at least 20 games in four of the previous five seasons. It also marked the first under new coach Bri Moore in her inaugural season as a head coach.

“Walking into a successful program, I knew the girls were always going to give their best,” Moore said after Thursday’s loss. “It’s been really fun and I would not have wanted to coach another group of girls. I’m excited for next season.”

Less than a week after winning a 10-0 decision over Glasgow on Senior Night, the Lady Falcons took the field in fine form to face Westran for the third time this season. Fayette jumped ahead early, taking a two-run lead in the top of the first on a single by senior Skylar Sunderland, along with a Hornets error, and three walks by Westran pitcher Kylee Hayes.

Hayes had thrown more than 100 pitches the night before a one-run loss to Glasgow. She struggled locating the strike zone in Wednesday’s district opener, issuing 12 walks. Four of those walks came in the top of the fourth, and two occurred with the bases loaded, sending in two runs for the Falcons.

“When a pitcher’s struggling like that, you always want to get the most out of them, get the most pitches you can,” Moore said. “The approach was to get a strike first and then you can swing.”

Fayette scored five runs in the inning, while recording just two hits. The first was an RBI-single by sophomore leadoff Paige Vroman. The second came on a two-RBI double by sophomore Brooklynn Wies on a hard liner to center field.

The Falcons also reached on an error and a fielder’s choice that did not result in an out.

The five-run inning gave Fayette a 7-3 lead. Two more runs in the top of the sixth gave the Falcons some breathing room. Skylar Sunderland led off with a single. Junior catcher Leah Thies followed with a line-drive double to left to put two runners in scoring position with no outs.

Two batters later, sophomore Kennady Vroman drove in both runners on a ground ball that was mishandled by the Westran third baseman.

That six-run cushion proved to be crucial for Fayette in the bottom of the sixth. Westran loaded the bases with a pair of singles and an error with slugger Ryann Derboven at the plate. The senior center fielder blasted the first pitch over the fence in left-center for a four-run grand slam that trimmed Fayette’s lead to two runs.

“I always tell Skylar, even if you give up a big hit, it’s how you come back. And she got a ground ball after that and did a great job,” Moore said. “I was relieved that we had we had that big of a lead. We were still up two runs by then.”

Sunderland induced a ground out before getting out of the inning with a strikeout. She then turned around a drove in two runs in the top of the seventh with two-base liner to left field.

Up by four in the bottom of the final inning, Sunderland retired the Hornet batters in order, with a groundout bookended by two strikeouts.

“She settled in and she rocked it. She adjusted to the strike zone and was great,” Moore said.

Sunderland delivered 11 strikeouts while surrendering seven runs (6 earned) on 12 hits without issuing a walk. At the plate, she led the team, going 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Thies had an excellent day at the plate, walking three times after battling the Westran pitcher to three-ball counts in four of five plate appearances. She walked her first three trips to the plate before delivering a double on a 3-1 count her fourth time through the lineup. She also drove in one run and scored once.

“The middle of the lineup was killing it today. Showing discipline at the plate and getting their pitch. It was great,” Moore said.

Wies went 1-for-4 with a two-RBI double and walked once. Kennady Vroman drove in two runs, walked three times, and scored a run. Senior Cayle John finished 1-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, and an RBI. Paige Vroman had one hit in four at-bats with an RBI, a walk, and two runs scored. Senior Rylee Finley rounded out the hitting with a 1-for-3 performance with a walk and a run scored.

Wednesday’s defeat of Westran was Fayette’s second in three games this season. The Falcons lost the first matchup in the semifinals of the New Franklin Tournament. Fayette won a lopsided season finale over the Hornets two days prior in a game in which both teams rested their starting pitchers.

With Fayette seeded fifth and Westran fourth, it meant that whichever team won the tournament opener would eventually move on to face the best team in the state. Carrollton entered districts 23-1 overall with a number-one ranking, on the way to possibly defend its state championship from a year ago.

“They know that it’s going to be tough,” Moore said before the semifinal game against the state’s No. 1. “They know what to expect, they know what they need to do to come out and win.”

With the season on the line in Thursday’s semifinal, Fayette put everything on the shoulders of its ace, Skylar Sunderland. The senior allowed five hits over six innings, surrendering two runs. She struck out three batters without issuing a walk.

The Lady Trojans also bet on their starting pitcher, Jenna Edwards. The senior also allowed five hits. She issued one walk and struck out a game-high nine batters.

“She has a good drop ball. She’s definitely a great pitcher,” Moore said.

Edwards unleashed an arsenal of pitches that moved all around the plate. But that didn’t stop the Fayette bats from making some noise. In her final game in a Falcons’ jersey, senior Cayle John gave a fearless hitting performance, going 2-for-3.

“She acted like that pitcher was no big deal,” Moore recalled.

Kennady Vroman also went 2-for-3, following a 1-for-3 day from Brooklynn Wies and bolstering the bottom of the lineup.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, the top of the lineup struggled at the plate. John hit onto base her first two at-bats, but was stranded both times after ground outs. The way the outs came split in half Fayette’s power hitters, and kept the Falcons from stringing together enough hits to plate any runs.

“We just couldn't capitalize when we had runners in scoring position,” Moore said.

Carrollton fared little better at the plate, but produced two timely power hits. With a runner on second in the bottom of the third, Edwards helped her own cause by blasting an RBI-double to left field to end the stalemate. Two batters later, sophomore Ava Porciello sent another two-base liner to left to score courtesy runner Addilyn Jones and give the Trojans the two-run lead that would decide the game.

Neither team surrendered a run the rest of the game. Fayette had one final chance to score in the top of the seventh. With one out, Kennady Vroman singled on a line drive to right field. But a strikeout and a ground out stranded her on first base.

Sunderland struck out the final batter of a high school career that left its mark on Fayette High School athletics. She surpassed the milestone of 500 strikeouts earlier this season, concluding her career with 590.

“She’s a heck of a player. I couldn't ask for anyone better to be on the mound,” Moore said after the game. “She played her heart out. She didn’t let those two hits affect her at all. She kept her composure through soreness, nerves, everything. She played awesome. It’s definitely going to be a big loss.”

Fayette bids farewell to five seniors: Whitley Sunderland, Cayle John, Skylar Sunderland, Bailey Simpson, and Rylee Finley.

“It’s going to be hard losing those seniors,” Moore said. “The juniors coming up and some of the sophomores have big shoes to fill.”

Carrollton moved on to face second-seeded Salisbury for the district title on Monday night. The Panthers cruised past seventh-seeded Lexington 11-1 in the first round, and toppled third-seeded Harrisburg 15-0 in the semis.

Carrollton edged Salisbury 8-7 for the district title and now moves on to face District 7 champion, decided night Tuesday after the Advertiser went to press, in the quarterfinal round of the Class 2 State Tournament on Saturday.