Consolation

It's never easy to write about a season's end, especially so close to the goal that every collegiate team has at the start of the season - a trophy. Today, the Pirates saw two great teams close the book on years that started off with optimism that played itself out in deep postseason runs.

Armstrong State men's tennis ran into the top-ranked team in the nation, Saint Leo, in the semifinals and battled hard in a 5-hour slugfest against the Lions, falling 5-2. It was the third straight time that the Pirates have faced the top-ranked team in the nation in the semifinals. All three times, the Pirates have fought to the last point, but have come up short against the nation's best. This team should not hang its head - Armstrong State proved all season long and today that it deserved its No. 2 national ranking and smart money says the way SLU is playing now, they should come out on top in tomorrow's national championship match. Either way though it should be a fun one to watch between the Lions and Hawaii Pacific.

Softball, meanwhile, captivated the crowds here around the DII Festival as well as the folks back home in Savannah with their magical run to today. Any team that can win three straight elimination games - and five overall in the NCAAs - can't feel bad about having the run come to a close, which it did today to No. 5-ranked Humboldt State, 6-2. But the Pirates learned a lot about themselves this postseason. They learned that even when the outcome seems predetermined, when in games the outlook is bleak - never let up. "All Gas, No Brakes" was the team's slogan this year and they epitomized it all season long.

Now the best thing about being in the DII Festival is that the Armstrong women's tennis team will have a huge cheering section as the Pirates play for the national title tomorrow at 9 a.m. against BYU-Hawaii. GO PIRATES!