MONTGOMERY &8212; The Marengo Academy Longhorns fell in their first and third match ups of the AISA division AA state championship series against Lowndes Academy Tuesday and Wednesday, finishing second in the state.

The team lost its first game to Lowndes on Tuesday, 8-7, after the game went in to extra innings. On Wednesday, the pitching of Thomas Fultz gave the team the edge it needed to even out the series, which lead to a third game, in which the Longhorns fell, 12-2. Coach Jonathan Lindsey said the team played hard but just couldn&8217;t squeeze out the extra win it needed for the title.

In the first match up, though neither team played a definitive game, Lowndes ended the game with a one-point victory after several lead changes resulting in a, 7-7, tied game at the end of seven innings and sending it to extra innings. Lindsey said the group played a decent game, just not decent enough to seal the deal at the end to win.

He said the group got down early to Lowndes after their opponent ran in two in the first inning. The group fought back in the fourth, taking the lead off of three runs. It added two more in the sixth, but was outshined in the inning, as Lowndes put up five of its own.

The Horns attempted a rally, succeeding to some extent as the team put up two more in the seventh tying the game, 7-7. But a sacrifice bunt in the extra eighth inning by Lowndes was enough to end it.

The Horns returned the next day with a good pitcher of their own and enough bats would show up to even out the series. Following behind the arm of Fultz, who recorded 12 strikeouts and held Lowndes to three hits, the Longhorns to a, 5-4, win.

The third game proved the bitterest pill of the series for Marengo Academy as the group saw their state title dashed behind a 12-2 loss. Early defensive mistakes allowed Lowndes to put enough points on the board to stifle any chance of a Horn comeback.

Lindsey applauded the hard play he saw from his players during the series play. The group won second place in the state in the AISA tournament.