The runners kept coming in the fourth with a single and two walks to load up the bases for the Tigers. Hartselle would then score off a pop up for the 10-0 lead.

That increased the urgency for Spain Park to score and extend the game in the bottom of the fifth. The Jags fought back with a lead-off walk and three-straight singles from Jaley Young, Morgan Bryant and Reagan Roberts, the latter of which ended the shutout for the 10-1 score.

While a fly out held the runners, Chloe Wade ripped a single down the third-base line to score another runner, and Abby King made it 10-3 on a sacrifice fly.

That helped the game go the full seven innings. The Tigers did tack on two more runs following a lead-off triple in the top of the seventh and finished off the 12-3 win to advance. They would go on to lose to Saraland in the lower bracket final.

After the game, Ritenour said the biggest difference between the two games was simply Hartselle’s improved hitting.

“Their bats were hot, very respectable team, in that sense,” Ritenour said. “They just hit the ball. It fell their way, they hit the ball, it was just one of those days. Softball is like that.”

It’s the end of a season that saw the Jags win the Class 6A, Area 7 title in an area that saw three teams ranked in the top 10 of the ASWA poll at some point in the season. From there, they battled through a tight loss to Helena at regionals to finish as the No. 2 qualifier and make it to state.

Once at state, it took a razor-tight and controversial loss to eventual champion Saraland and the No. 1-ranked team in the ASWA rankings in Hartselle to get the Jags out.

While it’s the end of the road for four impactful seniors, the Jags will return a plethora of young talent in 2027. Ritenour hopes that this experience against quality teams in a pressure-packed environment allows them to learn and grow, especially from a senior class that went to state three of their four years.

“I’m so glad that the younger girls got to experience state with these leaders and these seniors who have been here before,” Ritenour said. “And so, as always, we hope that that momentum kind of rolls into next year and now that they have a taste of it, they know what it’s like, and they have that experience in their belt that pushes them to work harder and to find a way back next year.”