It was just one of those games.

Nansemond River High School’s softball team got its first state semifinal appearance in 19 years off to a great start Friday at Liberty University, with a 2-0 lead in the first inning. But Fauquier High School responded with clutch hits in the third and fourth and then an avalanche in the seventh.

The Lady Falcons ended up with a 12-3 victory to end the Lady Warriors’ impressive 2014 run.

“We’ve all been a part of a game where a team just gets in a rhythm in the box, and they got in a great rhythm,” NR coach Gabe Rogers said of Fauquier. “We thought that Lauren (Maddrey) was making good pitches. They were just making great hits.”

The Lady Warriors started the game as the ones making great hits. Sophomore KateLynn Hodgkiss led off the bottom of the first with a bunt single. Then junior Morgan Lowers tripled to left center, scoring Hodgkiss. Sophomore Jaclyn Mounie later produced a sacrifice bunt to score Lowers.

But Fauquier quickly made up the lost ground in the third inning with a two-run home run. Another two-run shot in the fourth gave the Lady Falcons their first lead, 4-2.

“We got behind in the count on both of those home runs and had to bring the ball more on the plate,” Rogers said. “As soon as they hit them, we knew they were gone.”

Rogers praised Fauquier’s strong defense, which collected many Lady Warriors pop ups, and even made plays to limit Nansemond River’s trademark small ball.

The Lady Warriors had some miscues, though only one official error. They were out-hit 16-8.

Still, Lowers went 2-for-4, with a run batted in and two runs scored, Hodgkiss went 2-for-4, with a run scored, and Mounie went 1-for-2, with two RBIs.

Confident his team had the ability to beat Fauquier in a rematch, Rogers did not let the loss color his view of a season he called an extreme success.

“There’s 52 teams in 4A, and we’re in the top four,” he said.

Then he listed some of his team’s 2014 accomplishments, starting with its record.

“So, 22-3, state semifinalists, regional champions. You know, I’m happy,” he said, with a laugh.

Both Nansemond River seniors made seventh inning appearances, and both shared thoughts on the season and the team after the game.

“It’s like my dad said in the final speech he gave us,” Jessie Rogers said. “He just said that we won’t remember all of the plays that we missed and all of the games, but we’re going to remember each other and all of the time that we had, and I think that’s completely true.”

“They’re going to come back here next year, and they’re going to win next year, I know they are,” Maddy-Grace Lavender said. “And I just wish I could be here with them, but I’m glad to have gotten to play with them this year.”