The Lady Tiger softball squad discovered that anything can happen in the postseason, as Cedar Bluff finished second in the Class 1A, Section 8 Tournament on Apr. 26-29 at Paint Rock Valley.

The Lady Tigers went 3-2 before losing to Westminster Christian in the championship game, but Cedar Bluff earned a trip to a sub-state playoff game on May 10.

Sparked by Audrie Rucker’s no-hitter, the Lady Tigers posted a 22-0 opening-round win over Valley Head before a 10-2 loss to Skyline dropped the Bluff into the loser bracket.

The Lady Tigers remained alive with a 6-4 victory over Section, followed by an 11-10 win against Collinsville that set up a loser bracket final against Skyline.

Cedar Bluff beat Skyline 10-7 to advance to the title contest, where the Lady Tigers fell to Westminster 14-0.

Despite the fine showing, Lady Tiger head coach Dusty Cothran pointed out that his team possessed the wherewithal to come out of the tournament with the first-place trophy.

“We were like a kid trying to climb a mountain. We got really close to the peak, but instead of pushing ourselves onto the top, we were content with making it as far as we did.

“The [Westminster] pitcher was awesome, a big, intimidating flame-thrower. I think that our two hardest hit balls off her [Shannon Hawkins had Cedar Bluff’s lone hit] were fastballs that hit our players in the field. She was fun to watch, but it sure wasn’t fun losing to her.

“[The Skyline victory] was a huge, because it qualified us for the playoffs. Their coach blamed the loss on an ill-advised pitching change, and I thought that [that switch] contributed to our effort, intensity and patience at the plate. In my opinion, that was the key to the game.

“For us to be out-hit 10-4 and win said a lot about our defensive play. We made the plays that we had to.”

For the tournament, Hawkins went 6-for-15 with eight runs scored, seven steals and one RBI.

Audrie Rucker went 6-for-15 with eight runs scored, two RBI and one steal, while Juline Rucker went 5-for-15 with nine runs scored, six RBI and two steals.

Against Valley Head, Audrie Rucker (1-0) walked two while striking out five.

Karanda Mize went 2-1 in pitching starts, while Sierra Hopkins went 1-1.

Audrie and Juline Rucker were named to the All-Tournament team, along with Gaylesville’s Amy Crane