Members of the Campbell HIgh School softball team console each other as they ponder their tough 4-2 Division III state title game loss at the hands of Prospect Mountain om Saturday in Plymouth. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

PLYMOUTH – There was definitely a silver lining to the Campbell High School softball team’s 4-2 loss to Prospect Mountain Saturday in the Division III title game at Plymouth State University.

The Cougars weren’t really expecting to get this far, number one. And two, they graduate just two starters, which means they could be right back at PSU next June.

But still, it would have been nice to bid farewell to Division III – the Cougars are moving up to Division II in 2023 – in style. Instead, they gave up two runs in the fourth and two in the fifth and lost despite outhitting the Timberwolves 9-3.

“Their hits were just more timely,” Campbell coach Eric Gibbons said. “My young team, I have two leave, I’m gaining one, we’re only going up from here.”

But Saturday they wanted to be where the Timberwolves, who finished the spring 20-0, were. PM had left seven on over the first three innings, including the bases loaded in the first, and things were getting dicey.

“I knew it was just a matter of time,” Wolves coach James Christie said. “We’re one of those teams, we had girls on the bench who hit over .400. We didn’t have a weak spot in the lineup, and I knew at some point, some part of the lineup will pop.

Cougar freshman starter Theresa Ivas pitched her way in and out of trouble until Gibbons had senior Catherine Carignan relieve her with one out and runners at first and second in the bottom of the fourth of a scoreless game.

After the runners moved up on a fly out, Carignan, ahead in the count, threw a changeup that PM’s Mackenzie Renner knocked for a base hit to left to make it a 2-0 game.

The Cougars got one of those runs back in the fifth on LeAnn Ramos’ bloop RBI hit to center. But with runners at first and third, Ramos was thrown out at second and a ground out ended the threat.

“Honestly, I got to probably blame myself, I called that change probably at the wrong time,” Gibbons said. “And I probably should have done a delayed steal, instead of getting the runner thrown out.”

“Huge,” Christie said of the caught stealing. “And we work on that stuff a lot. I kind of new they were going to take the bag.”

Two runs were big for Prospect Mountain because they had 10 shutouts on the year, and pitcher Gabriella Bernier went the distance fanning seven.

“She’s a workhorse,” Christie said, his team winning the program’s first state title ever.

The Wolves got two big insurance runs in the fifth on Brenier’s first-pitch homer to left and Michaela Gates’ sac fly. On the fly ball, Prospect Mountain baserunner Gwen Christie, who had walked, stole second and went to third on throwing errors, was called safe on a very close play at home. That made it 4-1 with two innings left.

Prospect Mountain’s Gwen Christie reaches back for the plate while Campbell’s Juliana Pinceraro tries to apply the tag during Saturday’s Division III title game in :Plymouth. Christie was called safe to make it a 4-1 game in the fifth. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

There was still fight left in the Cougars, though, as Maddie Lane led the seventh off with a triple and scored on Pinciaro’s single to make it 4-2.

“We had eight hits on them, their hits were just more timely,” Gibbons said. “And in the seventh we got that leadoff triple, score her. It’s not over ’til it’s over, we always say that.”

But it was as, with one out, the ‘Wolves doubled up the Cougars on a fly out after the runner left first early, and that was that.

“They fought to the very end,” Gibbons said. “They never gave up, they never rolled over, their energy was high the entire game. They fought, fought, fought.”