Photo by Samantha Davis. Murray County Central catcher Ava Deacon picks up a bunt and looks to throw to first base during a Section 3A elimination game on Saturday in Marshall. The Rebels fell to MACCRAY 6-5 and end their season 14-7 overall.

MARSHALL — The No. 2 Murray County Central and fifth-seeded MACCRAY softball teams fought off one another in all aspects of the game, but the Rebels ultimately fell short in the final inning for a 6-5 loss in the Section 3A elimination bracket Saturday afternoon in Marshall, ending their season.

The Rebels finish their season 14-7 overall, a significant improvement from its 9-5 2024 campaign.

“It’s a tough loss in sections, but we had a really good season,” MCC senior Taylor Larson said. “We played really well, just needed to clean up some errors. But, it was a good season overall.”

MCC and MACCRAY were locked at 5-5 in the fifth inning after Kate Blankenship scored the tying run stealing home off a passed ball. She also stole second and third base, after first hitting a single line drive just past first base.

After a defensively tight bottom of the fifth and top of the sixth, MACCRAY took its lead back in the bottom of the sixth inning in its final at-bat.

With a runner on second base, a hard line drive RBI single to center field scored the run.

The Rebels stepped up to the plate in the top of the seventh in need of a run to tie the game up once more.

Elyse Paulzine got a base hit with an infield pop up between MACCRAY’s pitcher and catcher, and stole second on the next play.

Larson laid down a successful bunt to take first while advancing Paulzine to third with no outs.

But, MACCRAY completed its three outs with a pair of infield fly ball catches and the catcher finding a foul ball to eliminate MCC from the tournament.

“Everybody has played different positions, so it’s been nice having such a good group to help you out,” Larson said. “It was my first year at first base … But everybody is here [for you]. We had a very good group this year.”

MCC finished the day with 11 hits to the Wolverines’ eight.

Paulzine led the offense going 3 for 4 at the plate, with Schneider, Blankenship and Larson following with two hits each.

Schneider finished her high school pitching career spending all six innings on the mound, throwing for four strikeouts and one walk while allowing five earned runs. Schneider has served as the Rebels’ leading pitcher with a strong presence in the circle throughout the entire season.

The Rebels earned the second seed in the South division of the tournament following the regular season, and defeated No. 7 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 9-4 in the first round before falling to No. 3 Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian 8-7 in the subsection quarterfinals.

MCC was the first to get on the board with a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Emmi Peltola scored off a Schneider double fly ball to deep center field, who first got on base with a single infield hit off a MACCRAY fielding error.

Schneider herself came home from a Paulzine single to short left center field.

The Wolverines responded with three-runs in the bottom of the first, taking a 3-2 edge, showcasing the early competitive atmosphere the game took on.

The trio of runs came from a pair of defensive errors with runners on base, and an RBI single.

MCC struggled with early errors, finishing with three. MACCRAY recorded no errors.

Schneider pitched two straight strikeouts for the final outs to prevent the Wolverines’ from deepening their lead.

MCC returned the favor and took its lead back, 4-3, in the third inning with a Calleigh Doeden two-run RBI single to center field to score Blankenship and Paulzine from third and second base.

Doeden had a team-high two RBIs.

Yet, MACCRAY scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 5-4 lead with a two-run RBI single.

The Rebels graduate its four seniors in Schneider, Larson, Peltola and Paulzine.

“[Being in this program] has really meant a lot, because we have a very young team, but everybody is very close-knit,” Larson said. “Us seniors have been together since fourth grade, so it’s been really fun.”