The clock struck midnight for the Cinderella Danville Lady Hawks softball team at the 3A state championship in Oxford.
The Lady Hawks, the only team to advance to the state championships with a losing record, finished 0-2, losing to St. James and Piedmont.
The Lady Hawks will return all but one player from this year’s roster. Hanah Tillman is the only senior for coach Christy Ferguson.
According to Ferguson, the future is bright for her young team, who now knows what it takes to compete for a state championship.
St. James 7, Danville 3
The Lady Hawks opened the 3A state championship with a 7-3 loss to St. James. The Lady Trojans scored six runs in the first two innings to take a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the second.
Danville cut the lead to 6-2 with two runs in the bottom of the second. After that, the score would remain the same until the seventh, when both teams would add a run.
Isabella Guest finished with two hits, including a double and three RBI, while Kirstyn Robinson added a double.
Starting pitcher McKinley McCaghren, only an eighth grader, took the loss after giving up four runs in 1 1/3 innings. Hanah Tillman pitched 5 2/3 innings of relief, giving up three runs.
Piedmont 8, Danville 0
Danville bowed out of the tournament with an 8-0 loss to Piedmont in their second game. The Lady Hawks’ offense struggled in the game, totaling six hits.
McCaghren took the loss, giving up eight runs in four innings while striking out five.