The Fayette Lady Falcons fell 3-2 in eight innings against second-ranked Sherwood on Saturday in the Class 2 District 8 semifinals in Higginsville. The loss heralds an end to the season for another outstanding Fayette team that finished with more than 20 wins for the third straight season.

Fayette concludes the year 21-6 overall. Seniors Addison Powell and McKenna Botts wrap up their careers with 85 wins against 18 losses and one draw. 

“Every year, I’m amazed. You get these kids as freshmen, and you’re never sure how they’re going to end up,” said Fayette coach Mike James. “These two girls certainly developed and matured into fantastic leaders.”

Powell became the team’s top hitter this year after switching to the left side over the summer. She finished with a team-best .469 battering average with a team-high 38 hits in 81 at-bats. She also led the team in runs scored with 36 and stolen bases with a perfect 22 swipes in 22 attempts.

“Addison not only turned herself into a really, really good softball player, but I thought she did a phenomenal job of being a positive leader who led by example. And she would back it up by the way she played on the field,” James said. “She turned herself into a weapon. She became a really good offensive threat, and someone people had to prepare for.”

James said that Botts was just as impressive as a leader, even though she couldn’t play a single inning. The senior broke a knuckle at the end of summer ball and was never cleared to return to the field. “But then here she is, every practice and every game, helping with equipment and saying encouraging things,” James said. “For a girl who could have easily walked away, she chose not to do that. She gave up a lot of free time for her teammates. I can’t say enough about both those girls.”

The Lady Falcons wrapped up the regular season with four straight wins, including a 5-4 victory at rival Salisbury for Fayette’s final Lewis & Clark Conference game ever. Fayette and Harrisburg will depart the conference after this season to form the Central State 8 with six other teams. Fayette has been a L&C member since the conference was formed in 1973.

Fayette won the conference title for the first time ever last year but could not defend it, falling to rival Marceline 10-3 on September 8, the only blemish in the final 11 games of the regular season.

James said winning the L&C last year was one of his team’s most significant accomplishments and harbors mixed feelings about leaving the 50-year-old conference. He also serves as Fayette’s athletic director and said things outside of just softball, such as football schedules and long distances between schools, resulted in Fayette’s decision to leave the L&C.

“It’ll be sad not to be rivals with Salisbury and Marceline. Although we’re going to continue to play them on our schedule,” he said. “It is a great conference. We’re moving to a really great conference as well for softball. I don’t think the level of competition will drop off too much.”

Fayette, ranked seventh in the state in Class 2, was seeded second in the district tournament behind top-seeded Carrollton. The Falcons cruised to an easy first-round victory over winless St. Pius X on Thursday, 15-0, in two and a half innings. 

Fayette scored 13 runs in the first inning on eight hits, including doubles by sophomore Leah Thies and freshman Addi Gibbs.

Fayette ace Skylar Sunderland earned the win, allowing just two hits. The junior struck out four of 11 batters faced.

Saturday’s semifinal game pitted Fayette against third-seeded Sherwood, who entered the postseason tournament with a record of 18-9 and a No. 2 state ranking. The box score echoed the even matchup, with five hits and one error apiece. But after battling to a draw over seven complete innings, a line drive triple drove in the go-ahead run for Sherwood in the top of the eighth to win the close game.

Leading up to extra innings, the teams were neck and neck. After four scoreless innings, Sherwood broke the stalemate in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer by senior Kennedy Diggs. 

Fayette answered in the bottom of the sixth. Powell led off with a single and stole second. Freshman Addi Gibbs then reached after she was hit by a pitch. Both would move into scoring position before scoring on a ground-ball single to center field by junior Cayle John to tie the game at two runs apiece.

The eighth inning would prove to be the difference maker. Fayette intentionally walked leadoff hitter Diggs, who homered and struck out in her previous at-bats. But with two outs, Paisley Walton stepped up and delivered a shot to right center field that barely missed the glove of Cayle John. The hit went for a triple and drove in Diggs to put the Marksmen up by a run.

“That ball was within half an inch of being caught,” James recalled. “Cayle John made an incredible effort to get to that ball. It came just a fingernail short. They always say it’s a game of inches, and in this case, it certainly was.”

Down a run, Powell led off the bottom of the eighth with a liner to left and made it to second base on a passed ball. But she would be stranded in scoring position as Sherwood’s ace pitcher, Kennedy Diggs, struck out Fayette’s final three batters in order.

We fought and we battled. We had the right people up. It just really comes down to a really talented pitcher battling against really talented hitters,” James said. “Our girls battled. They fouled off several pitches. They had tough at-bats, all three of them.

Diggs lived up to her reputation as a strikeout artist. The current state record holder in strikeouts and an NCAA Division I prospect, she recorded 21 strikeouts over eight innings, allowing just two earned runs on five hits and one walk.

Sunderland matched her opponent nearly strike for strike, totaling 13 strikeouts on the day. She gave up three earned runs on five hits and two walks.

“Skylar was phenomenal. She matched her pitch for pitch all the way through,” James said.

John led Fayette’s offense, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Powell finished with two hits in four at-bats with a stolen base in her final game. Sophomore Hailey Kuster delivered one hit for Fayette, a single to lead off the bottom of the third.

“Even though it was heartbreaking to lose, I was also very proud because we left it all on the field against a great team,” James said. “I think it proves that we were worthy of our state ranking all season. I think we proved it there in the end.”

Sherwood has been the Class 2 state runner-up the past two years, falling both times to Marceline by a combined four runs.

“We’re both ranked in a truly did live up to that billing,” James said. “It was two really good softball teams playing at a really high level. Our hats off to them. They’re a great team, and they got one more clutch hit than we did. Other than that, it was about as even as you could get.”

Fayette loses two seniors but is expected to return seven players who will be seniors next year, including Sunderland and John. Also returning will be current sophomore catcher Leah Thies, who James expects to develop into a legitimate power hitter. She hit two home runs as a freshman and three this season. 

“She has potential and ability to become a tremendous offensive threat,” James said. “Especially in the power department. I could see her being a double-digit home run hitter next year because she is strong and she works hard.”

Fayette has won at least 20 games four out the last five seasons with a district and conference title. James credits that streak to a system of developing players by community teams such as the Outlaws.

“We wanted to build the program, and the community is just as responsible as anybody here at the high school,” he said. “That system is now starting to pay dividends with consistently good, solid, fundamentally sound players, who then improve when they get to high school. It’s becoming a pretty good softball tradition.”

The district tournament concluded Monday evening. Sherwood fell 2-0 to top-seeded Carrollton for the championship.