Emily Johnson's single in the bottom of the eighth inning dealt Buffalo Island Central a crushing 7-6 defeat, ending the Lady Mustang's season in the first round of the 2A North Regional Softball Tournament Saturday afternoon at Tuckerman.

BIC shortstop Lauryn Smith attempts to catch a pop up in regional tournament action Saturday afternoon at Tuckerman. (Town Crier photo/Trent Fletcher) [Click to enlarge]

The two teams battled to a 5-5 tie after seven innings before the Lady Mustangs took a 6-5 lead when Karla Marroquin drilled a single to put BIC ahead in the top of the eighth inning.

The Lady Bulldogs came right back, scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning, including Johnson's game winning hit, propelling Tuckerman to the state tournament.

Johnson picked up the win, giving up six hits while striking out six and walking three.

Marroquin took the loss for the Lady Mustangs. Sammi Fowler led BIC at the plate with a triple, a double and a pair of singles. Marroquin and Jenna Pike also added hits for BIC.

"We had a good season, and I am really proud of the girls," said BIC Coach Cary Cossey. "We battled hard all day long and just came up short in the end. I really thought we had picked up an extra run in the eighth inning, but the call didn't go our way. But I couldn't be prouder of the way we played today."