Five games into District 2-6A play, things weren’t going at all how the Abilene High softball team had hoped they would.

The Lady Eagles were 1-4 following consecutive losses to Midland Legacy (5-4), Wolfforth Frenship (9-6), Odessa High (8-6) and Midland High (2-0) and were at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

But things took a dramatic turn with a 2-1 nine-inning win over San Angelo Central on March 29, which kicked off a 6-1 run to finish league play. That turnaround, fueled by a six-player senior class that wasn’t content to end district the same way it started, has AHS entering the postseason at 16-11 overall and riding a wave of momentum that few could have predicted just a month ago.