Tears filled the Red Bank softball team's postgame huddle Monday night.
Players lingered for a while, quiet. Some milled around the field, while others sat stone-faced in the dugout, arms around each other, until raw emotion came again.
Then, more crying.
One by one Red Bank softball players, especially the six seniors, reluctantly walked up to coach Mandi Munn for a long embrace. Not the kind born out of obligation, but from a deep gratitude and mutual friendship developed over the years.
They just didn't want to leave.
"I think we have a few that might just spend the night here," a teary-eyed Munn said with a slight grin.
The Lionettes' season came to an end at home with a 10-7 loss to Sweetwater in the Region 3-AA semifinals.
"I just didn't know what to say to them," Munn admitted. "I told them how proud I was of them. This team, especially these seniors, has done so much for this program and this school. I can't remember ever having a season as successful as this one."
Red Bank (28-8), whicih got off to a fast start last week against Central to win the district title, was not able to establish the same kind of early momentum against the Lady Wildcats.
Sweetwater (18-14-1) used clutch hitting to take control from the start. After Lionettes pitcher Hannah Wood started each of the first two innings harmlessly, the Lady Wildcats scored five runs in the two frames, all with two outs.
Momentum swung in the bottom of the third inning, however. After a leadoff walk and a one-out single by Destiny Painter put Lionettes on second and first, Lexie Wright laced a double to left-center to get them on the scoreboard.
Wood and Sami Shrader followed with towering back-to-back blasts, and just like that the score was tied at 5, igniting both the dugout and the home crowd.
The excitement didn't last long. The top of the fourth started with controversy when Wood hit Wildcats leadoff hitter Mari Robbins as it appeared Robbins attempted to bunt the ball, running into the pitch instead. After the umps conferred, Robbins was awarded first base.
"They told me that she never made an attempt," Munn said. "That really hurt because (Robbins) is so fast and causes so much chaos on the bases."
The next three Wildcats reached on two singles and an error before Emily Barnes hit a three-run home run to give the Wildcats back their five-run lead. The Wildcats' two through five hitters went a combined 8-for-15 with seven runs scored and eight RBIs.
"That inning was so deflating," Munn said. "Having come all the way back to tie things up and to have it gone so quickly the next inning just took the life out of us a little."
Red Bank managed two runs in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 10-7 but did not mount a serious charge in the final two innings.
"Things just didn't go our way tonight," Munn said. "I really hate it because nobody wants it to be over, but it doesn't take away from everything these girls accomplished."
Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com.