Juston Lewis | Valdosta Daily TimesThe Lowndes Vikettes dugout watches as a teammate prepares for an at bat. 

VALDOSTA—Archer rained on Lowndes softball’s parade on Tuesday, eliminating them from playoffs and ending their historic season. 

The Vikettes lost game one against the Tigers 9-1 and were backed into a win or go home situation for game two. 

They were trailing 3-2 with one out in the bottom of the sixth before heavy rain began to fall, forcing a delay. 

After an expansive wait and a lot of field work, the two teams returned to the diamond.

Lowndes got the two necessary outs without allowing Archer to score anymore runs, advancing to the final inning unscathed. 

The pressure was immediately on the Vikettes who needed a run to tie the game and at least two to have the possibility of winning. 

No fan or player was sitting as the seventh inning began. The Vikettes were cheering on each teammate that saw an at bat. 

After their successful defensive inning, they seemed to have the momentum of the game. 

Though they got two runners on base, they couldn’t bring either home and saw defeat on Morris-Coates Field. 

“They love each other and they fight for each other to the very end,” coach Stewart Thomas said after the game. “There was not a single kid sitting on the bench from the No. 1 to the No. 17. They’re all cheering for each other and they’re all devastated when you get to the end. You can always say there’s only one team smiling at the end of every season but it’s super devastating when you’ve got kids to buy in this much and they don’t reach their goal.” 

Lowndes softball closed a historic season as Region 1-7A champions and able to host the elite eight for the first time in program history. 

They swept their way through the first round and battled through a three game series to advance to the third round. 

They came within one run from having a chance to extend their season. It hurts, but for coach Thomas, seeing his team invest was worth the payout. 

“To those kids, you learn what it means to invest,” Thomas said. “To invest in something that’s bigger than yourself. To invest in something that’s goal oriented. And when you don’t reach that goal it hurts. That’s what we felt tonight. There’s never a silver-lining to the end of your season. But if there was that’d be it. You learn how to invest in something bigger than you.”