PETERSBURG – The Fuqua School softball team was unable to catch lightning twice in the 2013 season, as the Falcons, who had upset No. 1 seed Kenston Forest earlier in the season, fell to the Kavaliers 8-1 in the Semifinal round of the Virginia Independent Schools Athletics Association Division III Softball Tournament.

The Falcons, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, led 1-0 early on, when Mary Grace Amos scored on a foul ball fly out by Katie Haney, but from there, Kenston Forest pitching did a good job of scattering Fuqua's scoring chances.

“They were hitting holes, but nothing really powerful,” said FS head coach Robert Schmidt. “They have a ton of good hitters, and even though we didn't give them much, they were able to get a run here, and another there. We kept it close, but we were not able to cash in on our best chance.”

Kenston Forest led 3-1 going into the bottom of the fourth, and held a 6-1 lead after five innings.

The Falcons' best chance at getting back into the game came in the top of the sixth.

Lindsey Kunath drew a leadoff walk, but was punched out when Amos reached base on a fielder's choice.

A solid single by Macie Ware moved Amos into scoring position, but the threat was retired when Haney lined what would've been a sure bases clearing double to right field that was caught by the Kenston Forest outfielder, who made a catch across her body while on a full sprint.

“They have some great outfielders,” said Schmidt, “and more than once they took away well-hit balls that would've been base hits if we were playing any other team on our schedule. Usually, all you have to do is put the ball in play, and good things will happen, but not against them. They don't beat themselves.”

Schmidt said that the Falcons have come a long way since a slow start at the beginning of the season.

“We lost some games that when you look back at them, you ask youself 'how did we lose that game?' You have some should've wons, and we were able to balance those out with the one at Kenston Forest last month. It's easy to dwell on those, but you have to ask if those were wake-up calls, and if we win those, do we lose some others down the line?”

Fuqua loses two seniors to graduation, and should return a solid line-up next spring to a league that was senior-heavy this season.

“There are a lot of good pieces here, and we're quite young. This team should be competing at this level for some time to come, provided they do the work required of them in the offseason.”