The CAM Cougars did not go down without a fight but ultimately came up short against St. Albert 8-5 in 8 innings of play in the Class 1A Substate 7 Final on Tuesday in Glenwood.

The Cougars entered the 7th trailing 5-2. The first two batters were put out and senior Connor McKee came to the plate. He hit a hard shot to shortstop Cy Patterson and was able to reach on a high throw attempt to first. Lane Spieker then blasted one over the center field fence to get the Cougars within one and spark some hope. Colby Rich then followed suit by sending one yard over the left field fence to tie the game up at 5. The game was pushed on to an extra inning.

The Falcons then got a clutch hit of their own. Senior Isaac Sherrill delivered a two-out 2 RBI double to put St. Albert back on top. They pushed across one more on an RBI single from Brendan Monahan. The Cougars couldn’t answer in the bottom half. Seth Hensley earned a walk but Cy Patterson was brought in to pitch and delivered two strikeouts to end the game and send St. Albert to state.

CAM Head Coach Dan Daugherty was proud of the fight his team showed to the very end.

Coach Daugherty thought a couple of opportunities didn’t bounce the Cougars way.

Connor McKee is the lone graduating senior for the Cougars. Coach Daugherty said Connor had a great senior year and will be missed. The Junior class that returns should have their expectations high for next season.

The Falcons return to the State Tournament next week in Carroll after beating the Cougars in the Substate Final for the 2nd year in a row. Their record improved to 32-8. The Cougars end another great season with a record of 25-7.