"You deserve to win this game. Let's go!"

When Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn coach Carissa Post said that the Hawks were playing their best softball when it counted most – in postseason play against a state-ranked opponent.

The Hawks responded by taking a one-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, putting them on the brink of upsetting River Valley (1A No. 15). But the favored Wolverines answered the challenge and when the winning run crossed the plate to end the regional quarterfinal game, the Hawks learned that the team which deserves to win most isn't always the one that does.

"Wow! I can...