The Fayette softball team finished a spectacular season just one run away from making its first-ever state semifinal appearance. But a 2-1 loss to Fatima in a Class 2 State Quarterfinals in Westphalia that lasted less than an hour on Saturday capped an 18-win season and ended the careers of six seniors.

“I knew at the beginning of the season this was a special team and they could do big things,” said Fayette coach Bri Busker. “We proved everybody wrong by coming in as the No. 3 seed. I told them in the huddle, You can’t hang your heads about anything. You worked so hard this year, and it showed. They played great.”

Tied scoreless after six innings of a pitcher’s duel, Fatima strung together a pair of doubles and took advantage of a Fayette error to plate two runs in the bottom of the sixth. But the Falcons answered in the top of the seventh when freshman pitcher Brylee Eubanks drove a 1-1 pitch over the center field fence. It was her fifth homer of the season and put the Falcons back in the game.

“I was thinking we were still in this game. I truly thought we had it,” Busker said.

The Fayette offense couldn’t complete the comeback, however, with the next three batters going down in order to end the game one run behind.

Fayette had three baserunners all game against Fatima pitcher Ava Heckemeyer. The right-handed junior struck out seven batters, allowing one earned run on two hits and a walk.

Busker said Heckemeyer’s windup threw off her hitters the first time through the lineup. “She moved the ball around. She also had an interesting movement. We just talked about seeing it out of her hand and not the wind up.”

Syferd came up with the first hit of the game, a single in the top of the third inning. But she would be left stranded on base after a groundout and back-to-back strikeouts.

Fayette drew a two-out walk in the top of the sixth to senior Emma Hilgedick. But once again, the offense couldn’t drive in a run. It wasn’t until Eubanks homered that Fayette would get onto the scoreboard.

Defensively, Fayette gave another tight performance. Senior third baseman Brooklyn Wies took away a hit on a hard liner down the baseline in the bottom of the second. “That was a heck of a catch,” Brusker said.

Later, in the bottom of the sixth, Fatima leadoff Gracie Atkins stepped into a pitch while attempting to bunt and was awarded first base. On the next play, she would be thrown out at first attempting to tag up on a bunt attempt. Eubanks caught the bunt, then threw a dart to freshman Hallie Ball covering first base to complete the double play.

Fatima still managed to score two runs on consecutive doubles and an infield error by the Falcons to take a two-run lead. That would be just enough to escape after Eubanks homered in the top of the seventh to cut the score to 2-1.

Eubanks struck out five batters and allowed one earned run on two hits without issuing a walk on Saturday. She finished a spectacular freshman season with 198 total strikeouts, 41st in the state record books for single-season strikeouts. She also homered five times, finishing with a team-high batting average of .366 with four doubles and a triple.

“Amazing. What a way to end it,” said Busker. “A freshman coming in and throwing that many strikeouts and her walks-to-strikeout ratio, it’s crazy. And this being her freshman season, I think she only wants to go up. She has the drive to want to be better every day.

“Having her in the circle definitely helped. And she has been a rock in the lineup all year. Having her and this class of seniors, this was the team.”

Saturday’s loss was a tough ending to a magical stretch of seven straight wins and a district title. The Falcons entered the district tournament as the third seed, eventually stunning North Callaway with a walk-off home run by senior Greycen Syferd to claim their first championship since 2019.

The team clicked, and the defense tightened up with the return of Paige Vroman at shortstop. The senior underwent ACL surgery at the end of the previous basketball season and was able to return to the lineup for the final seven games of the season.

“When Paige came back, it was a shift in the infield,” Busker said. “She sets the tone in the infield. She hates to lose, and she’s very competitive. She and Brylee work well together and bounce off each other. It makes the other four of them work harder.”

Paige Vroman hit .273 in those final seven games, with six hits, including three singles and two doubles.

“Coming back from an ACL surgery and playing the last half of this season, no one thought that was possible,” Busker said. “She didn’t miss a beat. She put her head down and worked hard in the off-season. Even when we started the season, she was going to PT and working out, so she was able to perform. She did her job, and she’s a spitfire.”

She is one of six seniors the Falcons lose this season. Paige’s twin sister, Kennady, is another starter Fayette will miss. Batting second, she averaged .259 with 13 RBI and 23 runs scored.

“She’s someone I can put anywhere, and she will work hard at it,” Busker said. “The grit and the work ethic will take her far in life. She’s been a leader by example. She’s not the loudest, but she leads by example and how she works. People see it and want to follow her.”

Wies ends her career after starting three years at third base and hitting .296 with two triples and 11 runs driven in. “She’s stone cold,” Busker said of her third baseman’s demeanor on the field. “She’s such a hard worker. She bodies anything up and stays with it. That’s what you want for a third baseman. It’s a hot corner for a reason. And she does it with such ease and with grace. It’s going to be hard to fill that. Third base is a hard position to play, and she does it so well.”

Fayette also loses two of three outfielders to graduation after this season. Center fielder Emma Hilgedick led off for the Falcons this season, hitting 19 singles and scoring 18 times.

“Being in that lead-off position is hard to fill. She takes good quality at bats. And in the outfield, she’s great. She’s the leader out there. She reads the ball so well and moves well.”

Left fielder Greycen Syferd finished her season with a .337 batting average and hit her first home run to clinch the district championship against North Callaway. She drove in 14 runs and scored 12 runs.

“She cracks me up every single day, and she has the best sense of humor,” Busker recalled. “She’s like sunshine. She makes sure that we’re not down. She keeps energy up. It’s just great. Hitting that home run against North Callaway. It was her first home run of the season, and it was huge. She did her job in the box, and she played great in the outfield. She’s made some difficult catches.”

Fayette’s final senior is Sida Gregory. Although not a starter, Busker said she was essential to the team.

“She’s a vocal leader, and she makes sure the energy is there. She tries her best every single day, and that’s all I can ask for. She’s not a starter, but she had such a big impact on this team.”

Despite losing so many seniors, Fayette has a bright future, anchored by its battery. Eubanks will return as the Falcons’ starter in the circle. Catcher Camryn Ballew is a force behind the plate. She gunned down seven base stealers and held runners on at first all season.

“They work really well together. They have the energy together. They are silly together. They have such fire spirits. I’m excited for the next two years with both of them,” Busker said.

At the plate, Ballew led the team with 25 RBI and .341 this season with an .471 slugging percentage.

Also returning will be freshman second baseman Hallie Ball, who nearly drove one out of the park on Saturday, and right fielder Jordan Barnhill. Both started nearly every game this season.

The Falcons wrap up the season 18-9 overall, their seventh winning season in the past eight years.