BY SAPNA PATHAK

In a season of setbacks and hurdles, it was only fitting their final game was an uphill battle.

And like they’d done all year, the girls of Pembroke Academy softball never questioned the challenge.

“At one point we were down, 6-1,” said Spartans head coach Deb Smith. “We had some nice hits, some nice bunts but we ran out of time. The kids really didn’t give up, and, had we had another inning, we could’ve pulled it off.”

Facing No. 5 Coe-Brown on May 30, the Spartans fell 6-4, ending their season at 8-8. Despite the .500 finish, Smith’s squad did not allow itself to fall victim to inconsistencies troubling an injured lineup.

Starting the year with senior Kaitlin Martinelli out with a torn ACL, losing senior outfielder Emily Parker in midseason to mononucleosis and resting starter Heather Farley during the Coe-Brown game after a collision didn’t distract a determined Spartans roster.

In a 6-1 hole entering the sixth, PA attacked with timely hits from Farley, Parker, Jenni Poulin and sophomore Molly Griggs, helping the Spartans chip away at the deficit.

“We had a runner on third in the sixth and the Coe-Brown first baseman took the ball over out of bounds,” said Smith. “It should’ve moved our runner, but the umpires didn’t see it. One call the other way and it could’ve been a different game.”

The Pembroke defense sparkled at times and hustled regularly; Parker ran down a hard-hit ball to hold a Coe-Brown hitter to a triple and Devin Cleary notched two run-saving catches at second base.

“Five or six games ago we could’ve packed it in,” said Smith. “They just didn’t let it get to them and got to the postseason.”