DUANE SHERRILL

Contributor

Afifth inning rally by the Lincoln County Middle School Falcons ended the season for the Middle School Raiders as they fell 5-4, capping a very successful season which included a district championship.

The Raiders appeared to have the game in hand as they led 2-0 through three and then went up 4-1 after four. However, the Falcons seized control of the contest with a four-run sixth which the Raiders were unable to recover from.

The Raiders were outhit 5-to-4 in a game where offense was at a premium. Austin Scherff, Laken Wade, Grayson Hill and Sawyer Boyce accounted for all the hits while Caseon Casteel, Brantly Chapin, Boyce and Scherff accounted for the runs.

Scherff worked two innings on the hill while Wade put in five innings of work. Together they fanned 11 Falcons on the night.

The loss puts to be a successful 17-5 season which saw the Raiders go on a 15-game winning streak to end the regular season, not losing a game between March 2 and April 21. Three of their five losses came in the first four games of the season, falling to Westwood, LMS and Cascade. Their next loss after March 3 came in the postseason when Forrest beat them in game two of the district series. However, the Raiders ended up winning the series and the district before falling to Lincoln in the Regionals.

— Jeff Reed photos