FORT DODGE — Jary Hoskey went to the whip one final time.

In a race that had become a breakaway, the Mustangs made one last surge for a photo finish.

The East Marshall softball team scored three times in the top of the seventh inning but left the tying run on third base, falling 5-4 to Durant in Wednesday’s Class 2A consolation game at the Iowa Girls High School State Softball Tournament at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.

The Mustangs closed their season with a 27-11 record and a state quarterfinalist trophy, nearly chasing down a win in their finale after seemingly running out of steam on a sweltering day on Dodger Field.

For the second day in a row, unranked East Marshall scored first against a top-five team but couldn’t keep the lead. Fifth-ranked Durant (22-13) capitalized on a combination of timely hits, untimely Mustang errors and heartbreakingly close calls on the basepaths.

But when the end of the season came into the Mustangs’ sight line, they mustered up a rally and nearly prolonged their homestretch.

“We finally decided that the season’s about over, and if we get one more hit we might still be playing,” said Hoskey. “But it wasn’t in the cards. It wasn’t meant to be, but I’m very proud of the kids.”

Trailing 5-1 going into the seventh inning, Hoskey met his squad in front of their dugout for a bit more than his normal pep talk.

“I gave them a good talking to, a pretty stern talking to,” he said. “That wasn’t us the last four innings and they knew it. It’s hard to come back and expect to have the fire and desire like they did against Van Meter last night, but they did towards the end and we got some big hits.”

Libby Atcher led off the top of the seventh with a single to right, eventually taking second base on pinch-hitter Addi Cole’s groundout for the second out. But Gianna Boswell worked a walk, Miyah Grabenbauer did the same, and Ashtyn Wheater whipped a line drive to the gap in right.

Atcher and Boswell scored on the hit, and Grabenbauer broke for home when the right fielder’s throw went through the infield. As Grabenbauer slid home safely under the tag, Wheater advanced to third base as the potential tying run.

“Before the inning, our seniors were talking to us and they were saying how this is their last game and they want to make it a memorable one,” said Wheater, a sophomore. “We weren’t really energetic and we were all just kinda dead and we didn’t want to leave it like that. We wanted to at least make a mark.

“I knew a base hit was all we needed because we had people on base that are pretty fast, so I knew as long as I got a base hit then maybe the person on second could score.”

Durant went to their top pitcher in hopes of getting the final out, relieving Isla Petersen with fellow sophomore Allison Toft. Toft pitched all six innings of a 3-1 Wildcat win over East Marshall at Williamsburg’s Jim Turner Classic on May 31, and she induced a game-ending groundout from Mustang cleanup hitter Peyton Grabenbauer to collect the save.

“I think you just have to realize that either way the outcome is what it is and I think that knowing we fought as hard as we could, just knowing that we got here — especially the seniors — that we’re just grateful to be where we’re at,” said senior catcher Bailey Grant. “I mean, we wish it would have ended a little better, but we should all be so proud of ourselves for getting to state because a lot of teams are at home right now.”

Hoskey credited his senior quartet — Vaeda Bryan, Makayla Hala, Delaney Ryan and Grant — for steering his Mustangs in the right direction all season.

“I don’t know what I’d have done without them,” he said. “They led the team, spiritually and emotionally. They were up almost all the time, they never got really down. And that shows and bled down into the younger kids. Vaeda, Bailey, Mak and Scooter, I’ll miss them. I’ll miss their leadership.”

Even though it fell just short, it was a rally East Marshall needed to put an exclamation point on a tough week in Fort Dodge. The Mustangs struggled defensively in losses to No. 1 Van Meter and No. 5 Durant and didn’t hit the ball as well as the second-highest scoring team in 2A expected to.

Everyone’s heads were held a lot higher than they might have been if the Mustangs hadn’t mounted one last comeback.

“We knew it was going to be our last game and we went into it with that mindset, but that last inning we really pushed and gave it our all,” said Bryan. “I know all the team was fighting for us seniors and they just wanted us to get there and that’s so much — putting your other teammates before yourself. That really meant a lot to me and really inspired me going forward.

“I’m really glad we got up because that would have been pretty bad if we lost 5-1. We went fighting for it, so that makes it 10 times better, knowing that we fought for our trophy in the end.”

Wheater, Atcher, Hala and Taylor Halverson had the Mustangs’ four hits off Petersen, who pitched 6 2/3 innings for the win. She walked four, hit a batter and struck out two, giving up two earned runs.

Peyton Grabenbauer allowed six hits and only one earned run, striking out five while walking three and hitting a batter.

East Marshall scored the game’s first run in the top of the second inning. Grant reached on an error, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Atcher’s grounder to short. Hala followed with a single, Ryan bunted them over, and Boswell walked to load the bases. Atcher was picked off at third for the final out, however, and the Wildcats escaped without further damage.

Durant took the lead with two runs in the third, getting a two-out double from Toft and an RBI single from Bailey Kraklio. In the fourth, the Wildcats scored three more times with just one hit. One walk and a pair of errors paved the way, and Paige Happ’s line drive down the right-field line was nearly caught on a diving attempt by Atcher.

In the end, Durant made more plays than the Mustangs, and the final score reflected it.

“If we don’t make some boo-boos (errors) and get a big hit once in a while, it might have been a different game,” Hoskey said at the completion of his 18th season. “But we did battle back, and I’m proud of them for doing that.

“We’ve got a good group of kids coming back and hopefully the younger kids got a taste of what’s going on, how they have to act, how they have to prepare. We’ll just have to see what happens next year.”

Iowa Girls High School State Softball Tournament

At Harlan Rogers Sports Complex, Fort Dodge

CLASS 2A

Tuesday, July 22

Van Meter 11, East Marshall 3, 6 innings

West Fork 7, Durant 1

Louisa-Muscatine 5, West Monona 2

West Lyon 10, Cascade 8

Consolation Finals

Wednesday, July 23

Durant 5, East Marshall 4

Cascade 11, West Monona 8

Championship Semifinals

Wednesday, July 23

Van Meter 5, West Fork 4

West Lyon 9, Louisa-Muscatine 5

Third Place

Friday, July 25

No. 2 Louisa-Muscatine (30-7) vs. No. 5 West Fork (23-7), 3:30 p.m.

Championship Final

Friday, July 25

No. 1 Van Meter (33-2) vs. No. 3 West Lyon (30-1), 5 p.m.

Durant 5, East Marshall 4

EM 010 000 3 — 4 4 4

DURANT 002 300 X — 5 6 2

Peyton Grabenbauer and Bailey Grant; Isla Petersen, Allison Toft (7) and Bailey Kraklio. W–Petersen (5-7). L–Grabenbauer (24-9). Sv–Toft (1). 2B–EM: Ashtyn Wheater; DUR: Toft. 3B–DUR: Paige Happ. LOB–EM 6, DUR 8.