BURLINGTON — In a heartbreaking ending to their season, the Humboldt High softball team fell to Burlington in the Class 3A regional semifinal game Wednesday afternoon.
The Lady Cubs (17-4) were leading by one run before the Wildcats scored two runs in the top of the seventh to take a 4-3 lead, a deficit Humboldt couldn’t overcome.
“It was a game we could have won. Next year we’ve just got to finish games like these,” Humboldt head coach Brad Piley said. “This senior class, five of them, have been here all four years but we have some younger girls coming up. We’ve got five spots to fill, but we can do it.”
Shelby Shaughnessy started in the pitching circle for Humboldt and worked six innings, allowing eight hits on two runs and only one walk.
Burlington grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Hannah Sides singled and scored on a Josie Fejfar RBI single.
In the second inning, Humboldt’s Emily Ross walked and Skyler Hottenstein singled on a bunt. Ross scored on a wild pitch before Morgan Sterling ripped an RBI single to plate Hottenstein for the 2-1 lead. 
Burlington struck next in the fourth inning when Cadence Isch singled and then later scored on a Carlie Swank ground ball error to shortstop to knot the game at 2-2.
In the fifth, Humboldt’s Karley Wools singled up the middle to plate Taevyn Baylor for the 3-2 lead.
Wools relieved Shaughnessy in the seventh inning after she walked two batters. Burlington scratched two runs across home plate to go ahead, 4-3. Humboldt third baseman Chanlynn Wrestler made a nice out at home on a ground ball to keep Humboldt ahead.
“I was going to leave Shelby in there as long as she was dealing, but she started to struggle with the strike zone. I brought Karley in because usually she’ll throw strikes,” said Piley. “You can’t defend a walk so that made the most sense there.”
Sides then walked and Rachel Hernandez also reached first before Grace Birk sent a sacrifice fly to left to make it 3-3.
Burlington’s Carlee Cole then roped an RBI triple to left field to score Hernandez and give the Wildcats their lead that they wouldn’t surrender the rest of the way. 
Humboldt totaled six hits with Morgan Sterling leading the way with a team-high two hits.
Burlington now advances to the Class 3A state tournament in Manhattan next week.
