RALEIGH — The end was dramatic and difficult to digest, but that didn’t detract from the appreciation the Middle Creek softball team had for being among the state’s final four.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience just being here,” said pitcher Beth Anne Kleekamp, one of five seniors to have left an indelible imprint on the Mustangs’ five-year-old program.

“I’m just proud of everyone,” senior catcher Heather Harris said softly. “It’s been a successful season. We proved to everyone we could do it, and I’m proud of each and every one of us.”

And then she asked if she could be left alone, the pain of the evening, of the season’s conclusion still too fresh to discuss. The tears had finally stopped, and if she talked about it anymore, surely they would start flowing again.

The Mustangs’ most successful season to date — 22 wins, a conference championship and their first trip to the state semifinals — came to a close Friday at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex. They lost the NCHSAA 4-A East Regional final 2-1 to Durham Riverside, then lost by the same score to North Davidson in the weekend’s first elimination game.

“Tonight the bounces didn’t go our way,” said Middle Creek coach Robbie Wray. “We made a couple mistakes offensively and defensively. To lose two one-run games over here — all we lost this year was one-run games. That’s how it goes.”

It’s easy to look at the bottom of the seventh inning against Riverside — when the Pirates scored two unearned runs to steal the win — and say that’s where the Mustangs’ season went astray.

But that’s too easy.

Middle Creek was done in by its inability to hit with runners on base. Against Riverside, the Mustangs left five on base, four in scoring position. Against North Davidson, they left six on base, four in scoring position.

“We talked about leaving runners on base and that’s how we advanced, with Apex leaving 12 on [in Middle Creek’s 4-1 quarterfinal win May 23],” Wray said. “Tonight, it was us.”

Riverside 2, Middle Creek 1

History has proven that winning the regional final is imperative to winning the state championship. Since the softball championships went to the current four-class system in 1996, seven regional losers have recovered to make it to the state final, but none of them have won.

The Mustangs appeared on their way to the winner’s bracket as the East Regional final went to the bottom of the seventh inning. They were up 1-0 on Riverside, and Kleekamp and her defense had been phenomenal to that point. But it all fell apart.

Middle Creek was rock solid in the field all season but had developed the occasional yips during the playoffs. The yips showed up at the worst possible time Friday. The Mustangs had two errors in the bottom of the seventh, allowing Riverside to score twice and steal a 2-1 victory.

“We just didn’t get in the places we needed to be,” Wray said. “We didn’t get down in front of the ball and we didn’t make sure we had it before we made the tag. It was just little fundamental breakdowns.” It was so jarring, however, because of the way Middle Creek played the first six innings.

Kleekamp took a no-hitter into the sixth and allowed only two hits by game’s end to go along with seven strikeouts. Kleekamp turned two double plays and center fielder Taylor Brumsey made a sensational over-the-shoulder catch on the run in the fifth that kept Kleekamp’s no-hit bid alive.

And it was their defense that sparked their offense and led to their only run.

With a Riverside runner on second and one out in the third, Kleekamp snagged Amanda Rothwell’s line drive up the middle, then flung the ball to Sally Poole at second base to double off Lindsey Umstead to end the inning. Middle Creek took a 1-0 lead in its next at-bat.

Riverside pitcher Jenn Ladd was perfect heading into the inning. She struck out six of the first nine hitters she faced, and the other three didn’t hit the ball out of the infield.

Middle Creek right fielder Krystal Coleman led off the top of the fourth with a bunt single and then she stole second base. She moved to third thanks to Poole’s sacrifice bunt. Heather Robb was then hit by a pitch, and Kleekamp drew a full-count walk to load the bases with one out.

First baseman Ashley Watkins slapped a grounder and Rothwell, Riverside’s third baseman, bobbled it, allowing Coleman to score from third and everyone else to move up a base.

But Middle Creek did nothing more in the inning, leaving the bases loaded.

In the sixth, the Mustangs left two more on base.

To start the bottom of the seventh, Riverside’s Chassity Ligon led off with a walk. Ladd followed with a hard hit grounder to second that got away from Poole, allowing Ligon to dash to third. Ladd moved up to second when the throw to third base got away from Mattie Arthur.

Kleekamp struck out Morgan Robinson for the first out of the inning, bringing a sense of ease to her team.

But it was shortlived.

Chelsea Taylor hit a groundball up the middle. Brumsey charged in, ready to fire home as it was clear pinch runner Taylor Salmon was going to try to score from second on the play.

But Brumsey came up on the grounder before it was secure in her glove, and Salmon crossed the plate uncontested.

Just like that, in a matter of minutes, the Mustangs went from the fast track to the championship game to having to play for their season.

“You really have to have more than one run to win a ballgame usually,” said Coleman, who went 1-for-4 and scored Middle Creek’s lone run. “We were confident, but it just happened not to go our way at the end.”

North Davidson 2, Middle Creek 1

The Mustangs didn’t have time to dwell on the heartbreaking loss. They had less than an hour to regroup before they had to play North Davidson in the double elimination tournament’s first elimination game. North Davidson lost to Matthews Butler 5-2 in the West Regional final.

Though the teams had never met, Middle Creek watched the Black Knights play earlier this season and came away impressed.

“We watched them play about four innings, and my girls walked off the field and with their mouths wide open,” Wray said. “We thought we were a pretty good team; they were a great team. The biggest thing wasn’t regrouping from the Riverside loss. It was getting focused on that North Davidson game and to get through to my girls that we could play with this team. I wasn’t sure that they believed that.”

Middle Creek proved they could play with the Black Knights, but the two runs North Davidson scored in the top of the first were too much to overcome. The Mustangs lost 2-1.

It was only their fourth loss of the season but the fourth time they’d lost by a single run.

Middle Creek scored its lone run in the second inning. Harris ripped a single to right, allowing Watkins to score from third.

Still trailing 2-1 in the seventh, Middle Creek got what any team would want in its final at-bat — a chance.

With one out, Arthur drew a walk. She moved to second thanks to Brumsey’s sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Harris drew a walk.

Coleman, the Mustangs’ speedy leadoff hitter who brought a .470 batting average into the day, smacked a slow roller and motored toward first base. But North Davidson pitcher Hannah Alexander (two hits, one run allowed, 10 strikeouts) scooped it up and gunned it to first to end the game.

“We shut them down a few innings in a row and we got a run to make it 2-1 and they all believed we could play with this team,” Wray said. “We just didn’t get it done.”