Gloucester senior Hannah Joyce was named the Peninsula District Girls Softball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season last week, just before the Lady Dukes got by Kecoughtan 1-0 to claim their third straight dual district tournament and regular season championships. The Dukes’ stellar season ended Tuesday as they fell 4-2 to Hickory High School in the Eastern Region Tournament semifinals.

Gloucester scored two runs in the first inning of the semifinal and held that advantage until the fifth. In that inning, Hickory capitalized on several mistakes by the Dukes and quickly made it 3-2. They added a fourth run in the seventh.

Gloucester advanced to the semifinals with two outstanding performances, including a 2-1 quarterfinals win over First Colonial on Memorial Day in Virginia Beach. The Dukes took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Joyce singled, advanced to second on a bunt by Shelby Alto and scored on a single from Rhiannon Miller.

First Colonial tied it i...