STEPHENVILLE — The Abilene High softball program’s longest playoff run since 2003 came to a close Saturday, ending with a 7-1 loss to Burleson Centennial at Tarleton State University’s Tarleton Softball Complex.

The Game 2 defeat, which followed a 13-2 loss in Friday’s series opener, ended the Lady Eagles’ season at 25-15-1, capping the state’s second-longest playoff run this season by a fourth-seeded team.

While Saturday’s game, which was within reach until the Spartans scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend a three-run lead to seven, didn’t end the way the Lady Eagles had hoped it would, coach Jenna Aguirre said the push to the Region I-5A semifinals set a new standard for her program.

“I felt like we weren’t as confident coming into this game as we had been,” Aguirre said. “That’s something we definitely want to grow in, but Abilene High hasn’t been here in 21 years and we have a very young team. With the lineup in the last four innings, we only lose one person, so it’s just like we told the girls, this is the standard now, and we hope to grow and build on that.”

Game 2 bore many similarities to Friday’s opener, which also saw Centennial break a scoreless tie with a three-run third. But unlike in Game 1, when the Spartans tacked on three more runs over the next two innings to go up 6-0 by the fifth, the Lady Eagles kept the deficit at three until the game’s latter stages.

But AHS could never muster the necessary offense off Centennial pitchers Ava Ellis and Bailey Lindemuth to claw its way back into the game, managing just two hits — both doubles — and one seventh-inning run. And by that point, Centennial’s Hannah McCurry and Madelyn Hickey had already broken the game open with a two-run double and two-run home run, respectively, in the sixth.  

The Lady Eagles had an opportunity to push across some runs early, loading the bases in the second inning on a double by Andria Starks and a pair of walks, but pitcher Diana Silva flew out to center after a tough eight-pitch at-bat, ending AHS’ only real scoring threat until the seventh.

After stranding five baserunners the first two innings, leaving the bases loaded themselves in the bottom of the second, the Spartans finally broke through in the third, turning four consecutive hits to start the inning into three runs.

McCurry and Hickey did the bulk of the damage in that rally as well, going back to back with an RBI single and two-run double, respectively.

That put Abilene High in a 3-0 hole it was never able to dig out of. 

Sophomore pitcher Avah Reyes, who relieved Silva two batters into the third inning, settled in after that to hold Centennial scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings. But the Spartans finally got to her again in the sixth, creating some separation with big two-out hits by McCurry and Hickey.

Of the 20 runs scored by Centennial in the series, 14 came with two outs showing on the scoreboard.

Down 7-0 after the Spartans’ big sixth inning, the Lady Eagles tried to mount a two-out rally of their own in the seventh. But after Marissa Cardenas doubled home pinch runner Jaide Musquiz, Lindemuth got catcher Makayla Gutierrez to ground out back to her to end the game.

“They threw well in the circle and we were a little late in making our adjustments,” Aguirre said. “But I’m just proud of this team for the season they had and being able to come back (to score) in the seventh inning both days.”

McCurry (3 for 4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs) and Hickey (2 for 3 with a double, a home run, a run and four RBIs) had the only multi-hit days for Centennial, which advances to play Aledo for the Region I-5A championship next week. Aledo swept Abilene High’s district mate Lubbock Monterey 7-1 and 5-4 in its region semifinal series to advance.

Starks and Cardenas had the only hits for the Lady Eagles, who will head into the offseason hoping to build off their deepest playoff run in more than two decades.

“Hopefully this hurt a little bit,” Aguirre said. “We’ve played so well lately and we had to overcome a lot of adversity, just people playing in different roles. Hopefully this is a learning curve and they take this and it hurts just a little bit in order to get us going for next year.”

REGION I-5A SEMIFINALS

GAME 1

BURLESON CENTENNIAL 13, ABILENE HIGH 2

	123	456	7	—	R	H	E
Centennial	003	210	7	—	13	10	3
Abilene High	000	000	2	—	2	5	4

Bailey Lindemuth and Madelyn Hickey. Diana Silva, Avah Reyes (4) and Makayla Gutierrez. W — Lindemuth. L — Silva. 2B — Centennial: Ryanne Stephens, Hannah McCurry, Lindemuth, Hicky; Abilene High: Marissa Cardenas, Mariah Estrada. 3B — Centennial: McCurry. HR — Centennial: Madison Haynes, Stephens, Liv Martin.

GAME 2

BURLESON CENTENNIAL 7, ABILENE HIGH 1

	123	456	7	—	R	H	E
Abilene High	000	000	1	—	1	2	2
Centennial	003	004	x	—	7	9	0

Diana Silva, Avah Reyes (3) and Makayla Gutierrez. Ava Ellis, Bailey Lindemuth (5) and Madelyn Hickey. W — Ellis. L — Silva. 2B — Abilene High: Andria Starks, Marissa Cardenas; Centennial: Hannah McCurry, Lindemuth, Hickey. HR — Centennial: Hickey.

Records — Abilene High 25-15-1; Burleson Centennial 30-7.