Opp pitcher Ethan Davis put on a clinic from the mound Friday night in the second game of the Bobacats’ third-round playoff bout with the Sipsey Valley Bears. Davis gave up only three hits all game, but the Bears still managed to pull out the series sweep with a 2-0 victory in game two, ending the Bobcats’ season at 25-10.

Head coach Michael Cassady said his team played well in game two, after falling 11-3 in game one, but simply did not execute in key situations.

“They executed on offense when they needed to and we didn’t,” Cassady said. “We had a couple of errors in the second game that cost us.”

The Bobcats fell behind early in game one and trailed the Bears 6-0 when they came alive in the bottom of the sixth inning to score their only three runs of the night. Jacob Johnson connected with the ball for an RBI single that scored Eli Johnson to give the Bobcats their first run.  With two outs, Zane Hollinghead smacked an RBI single of his own, scoring Dakota King to pull within four of the Bears. With the bases loaded, Colt Harrell kept his eye on the ball and took a walk that scored Matt Pierce to add the Bobcats’ third run.

But the Bears had an answer for Opp’s resurgence and notched five runs in the following inning to pull out the 11-3 victory.

In game two, the Bobcats’ defense was more polished and its offense looked to have found a second wind, but Cassady said the charge fell just short of the mark.

“When they beat us the first game, they out-hit us and outplayed us,” he said. “The second game we out-hit them 5 to 3, we just left 10 base runners on base in the second game. Against a good team, you can’t do that. They were the better team in the first game. I thought we were the better team in the second game. We just couldn’t get the runs across.”

Opp’s defense held the Bears at bay until bottom of the fourth, and Sipsey Valley would tack on one last run in the bottom of the sixth to seal the win.

Cassady said the losses were an emotional way to end a season, especially for the seniors who have seen their playoff dreams end in the third round before.

“I have ten (seniors on this team),” he said. “Some of these guys have been playing since the tenth grade. They’ve had 20-or-more wins every year they played. You hate you had to end it today, but it’s just a great group of guys. Just a great group of guys.”