Hart’s softball team is getting a little more familiar to postseason runs.
The Pirates won their third straight district championship this season and made it back to the regional level. The next step is winning a regional game.
Hart was unable to do that Saturday, falling behind early against Kingsley and faltering, 8-0, in Division 3 action at Traverse City St. Francis.
The Pirates close the season with a 15-16-1 record.
Kingsley lost to Standish-Stering, 13-3, in the regional finals. In the other semifinal, Standish-Stering ousted Evart — the top-ranked team in the state and last year’s runner-up — by a 10-6 score.
Against Kingsley, Hart found itself in a 2-0 deficit after two innings and 5-0 after three. Kingsley tacke don three more runs in the fifth to effectively put it out of reach.
Hart hung with Kingsley in the hits column, as the Pirates had six and the Stags seven, but could not piece them together.
Nora Chickering and Ambrielle Duncan paced Hart with two hits apiece.
Kelsey Copenhaver took the pitching loss for Hart. She allowed five runs on three hits with six strikeouts and seven walks in three innings.
