OXFORD – In just their first year in Class 2A, the Spring Garden Lady Panthers are already developing quite the rivalry with Pisgah.

The girls basketball team’s season ended to the Lady Eagles in an overtime classic in the Northeast Regional final back in February. On Wednesday, the Lady Panther softball team suffered an 11th-inning, 1-0 heartbreaker to top-ranked Pisgah in the state tournament at Choccolocco Park to end their season at 26-12.

The Lady Eagles’ Briley Worley sent a shot up the middle that just grazed the glove of Spring Garden pitcher Abbey Steward. The hit scored Hannah Duncan, who walked to lead off the bottom of the 11th.

“It comes down to whoever gets a hit or makes the first error. They got that first runner on and (Worley’s shot) knocked off of Abbey’s glove just enough to throw the defense off,” Spring Garden coach Ann Welsh said. “I’m proud of them. They fought to the end. You can’t say we didn’t give it our all, but I felt like they did too.”

Steward suffered the tough-luck loss after working 10 1/3 innings. She scattered eight hits and three walks with a strikeout.

“I felt like their lineup was full of great hitters. It was a fight the whole time,” Welsh said. “Abbey did a really good job of hitting her spots and keeping them guessing.”

But equally as impressive was Pisgah pitcher Kennedy Barron. She, too, scattered eight hits and walked two, but struck out 10 Lady Panther batters in earning the win.

“Whatever she was doing, we were all popping up,” Welsh said. “I don’t know what that was, but she did a good job too.”

Steward and Madison Brown both had a pair of hits for the Lady Panthers. Avery Steward, Bri Boles, Kylie-Grace Wood and Abbie Woods each contributed a hit for Spring Garden.

The Lady Panthers were put in the losers bracket against Pisgah after falling to Orange Beach 3-1 in their tournament opener earlier on Wednesday.

And much like their season-ending loss to Pisgah, the Lady Panther bats couldn’t come up with the timely hit. They scored their only run in the second inning on an error at third.

The Makos surged out in front 2-1 on a solo home run to left field by Teagan Revette. They added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a Lady Panther error for the final.

“We just couldn’t get back-to-back hits or feed off of each other,” Welsh said. “We’d get a few people on but never could move them. It seemed like every time we got somebody in scoring position we’d have two outs. I think that was our downfall today, just getting hits to go together.”

Neely Welsh led the Lady Panthers at the plate against Orange Beach. She went 2-for-3 and scored their lone run. Brown was 1-for-3 with a RBI. Maggie Jarrett, Abbie Woods and Ace Austin added the other Spring Garden hits.

Speaking of Austin, she suffered a knee injury after running into Orange Beach first baseman Posey Motichek. Austin appeared to be fine and continued playing in the game. Coach Welsh said Austin iced her knee in-between games, but was walking stiff-legged. She attempted to play against Pisgah, but Coach Welsh decided to take Austin out in the second inning in favor of Boles.

“She couldn’t run to first and was not even bending her knee,” Coach Welsh said. “We just felt like we needed to play it straight up with somebody who could cover some ground.

“Bri Boles has been a utility player and big-time runner for us. These last few games we’ve stuck her in a few places and used her some. We’ve had her at third, had her at first, had her in the outfield. I thought she really stepped up and did a good job.”

Boles and Austin are just two of the many players the Lady Panthers will return next season. They only lose one senior in Wood.

“You’ve got to get here before you know what it’s like, and before you can get here and win, you kind of have to experience it,” Coach Welsh said. “Now we have a foundation. They know what it’s about, what it takes, what it feels like to lose and want to be eager to come back and not have that feeling again next year.

“It’s tough losing, but I told them all year long if you get beat playing good ball and you do things right, I’m fine with that. It’s a tough state tournament. Because of that, I’m proud of where we are and what we’ve accomplished.”