The King’s Fork High School Lady Bulldogs have spent the last several weeks defeating many of the top teams in the Southeastern District.

The winning streak ended Friday, when they received a visit from the top-ranked team, Great Bridge High School.

The Lady Wildcats were kept off the scoreboard by sophomore pitcher Sydney Wash and the Lady Bulldogs defense until the top of the sixth inning, when Great Bridge reached home plate twice to get a 2-0 win.

Great Bridge tripled to deep right field and scored a runner on base for the go-ahead run. Meanwhile, King’s Fork struggled to get anything going offensively.

“They’re a good team, ain’t no doubt about it, and they’ve got one of the better pitchers in the league,” Lady Bulldogs head coach Richard Froemel said. “But then again, I think we have THE best pitcher.”

Froemel gave credit to Sydney Harless of the Lady Wildcats, though, noting that “she worked the corners good, she took our bats from us, that’s for sure.”

Sophomore Shaina Holland got a hit, which ended up being her team’s only one. King’s Fork was struck out five times.

Wash threw seven strikeouts, allowed six hits and no walks.

Froemel encouraged the girls in the face of having their nine-game winning streak snapped.

“Every game we play, I tell them, ‘Stay grounded,’” he said. “’You know how these things can go. You experienced it at the beginning of the year. We’ve made strides, this and that, but you’re vulnerable. Anybody can beat anybody, and if you go out and give it your best, and you know you gave your best, then you should be able to come back from this very easily.’

“’It shows what kind of character you’ve got, what kind of person you are,’” he said. “’It’s easy to win and win and win, but when you get that loss, now what are you going to do? You’ve got to keep fighting.’”

King’s Fork (10-5, 8-5) will get its opportunity to do so on Tuesday when it travels across town to play Nansemond River High School.