The Mathews Lady Devils’ softball season came to an end last Thursday at King William.

For Mathews to advance any further into regionals it had to place ahead of Essex in the district tournament. However, when the Devils showed up for the game, they were surprised to find that Essex had already clinched the final spot in the regional tournament by winning the Northern Neck District Tournament.

Because of budget restraints, Region A cut its tournament to only four teams this year and Essex qualified over Mathews by playing two more regular season district games than Mathews. In spite of the team knowing it was going to be its last game, the Lady Devils played with more heart and determination than anyone had seen them play before, losing a nail biter to the unbeaten Cavaliers, 3-2.

In the first inning, the Devils jumped out to a 1-0 lead. This sent King William into panic mode and the Cavaliers retaliated with two runs in the bottom of the first.

Both teams continued to ...