Kentlake High’s fastpitch team fell short of adding a fourth banner to its 2011 collection.

When Jackson beat Kentlake 9-5 just after 10 p.m. in the Class 4A state tournament on May 27 at Merkel Sports Complex in Spokane, Kentlake coach Greg Kaas said, “it’s definitely the end of an era.”

It was the team’s second loss of the day and the final game for a group of four seniors — Brittany Styger, Erika Smyth, Erin Crowley and Jessie Richardson, all of whom will be playing at the next level — whom Kaas had coached since they were seventh graders at Cedar Heights Middle School.

All the things the team had done well, led by those four senior co-captains, at the plate and in the field seemed to fail them in Spokane.

In a first round 5-3 loss to Marysville-Pilchuck, Kentlake stranded a dozen runners, something that rarely happens to the Falcons. The Tomahawks made it to the championship game but fell to the Blue Devils from Walla Walla, 1-0.

“We fought back,” Kaas said. “We made a game of it at the end.”

After a three hour rain delay, Kentlake met Spanaway Lake, the South Puget League South division champions they had beaten two weeks earlier for the league title.

It went down to the wire but the Falcons were able to keep their hopes of a fourth banner alive to add to their North Division title, shared with Tahoma, their league and district crowns when Brittany Jacobsen drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th.

“I was proud of how we responded in that Spanaway Lake game,” Kaas said.

Kentlake then faced Jackson in another elimination game.

The Falcons were down 5-1 in the fifth but fought back to tie the game but defensively couldn’t hold off the Timberwolves late in the contest.

“It’s bittersweet because you’re excited about getting,” Kaas said. “It’s such a great group. I’m really, really proud of them. If you told me at the beginning of the year that we were gonig to win the division, the leage and districts, I’d say, ‘Sign me up.'”

This was Kentlake’s seventh trip to the 4A state tournament in eight years. In their 11 trips since 1998, the Falcons have placed fourth twice (2000 and 2007) and was runner up to Shorecrest in 2001.

While the Falcons lose four leaders and talented ball players — Smyth will play at Minnesota, Crowley at Seattle University, Styger at Chapman while Richardson has accepted an appointment to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy — they return five juniors including ace pitcher Hannah Sauget as well as three sophomores next year.

“Tradition doesn’t graduate,” Kaas said. “These girls are steeped in tradition.”

And no doubt Kentlake will return next year seeking four more banners to add to its collection in the school gym.