Maplesville’s postseason run came to an end on Friday, as the Red Devils’ baseball team lost a pair of games at home, 5-1 and 10-6, to J.U. Blacksher.

“It was a privilege to walk off the field with this team, even after a loss,” Maplesville head coach Brandon Shanks said. “I couldn’t have asked for more.”

The Red Devils faced its first adversity of the postseason during a 5-1 loss in Game 1, as Trevor Wallace got the start.

However, Maplesville responded just as Shanks had hoped, with six runs through the first four innings of Game 2.

“We were swinging the bat well but it seemed like everything we hit in the first game was right at them,” Shanks said. “All of a sudden it started the hits started to fall.”

Alex Smith started Game 2 and appeared to be hitting his spots and matching the offense’s intensity through the early going.

However, J.U. Blacksher’s offense began to come alive as well during the middle portion of Game 2 and slowly began chipping away at the Red Devils’ early lead.

The roles seemed to suddenly reverse, as J.U. Blacksher began finding holes in the defense and Maplesville had trouble getting balls out of the infield over the final three innings.

The Red Devils saw its lead dissipate and trailed 8-6 after the fifth inning.

After controlling the first part of Game 2, the Red Devils were faced with the agony of watching their lead fade away during the later innings.

The offense that was firing on all-cylinders to start was suddenly relegated to ground-ball outs.

Maplesville continued to fight until the end as the dugout continued to hold onto the hope that the next base runner could spark a rally.

However, J.U. Blacksher added two more runs in the sixth, as Maplesville went down in order and its magical season came to a halt.

“This group of seniors was one of a kind,” Shanks said. “They led by their actions and that’s what you want as a coach. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

The entire Maplesville team was hit with the harsh reality after the final out, especially the senior class, who walked off the field for the last time in their high school careers.