One of Salisbury's goals heading into the season was to qualify for the district softball tournament, a feat the Falcons accomplished last year after a significant drought from postseason play. And after a 3-1 start (3-0 in Colonial League) to the 2015 season, it looked as if the they were on their way.

But every time the Falcons put together a good stretch on the field, a crucial losing skid seemed to follow suit.

After rebounding from a mid-season seven-game losing streak, Salisbury responded by winning five of its next six games to put its district goals back into focus. But needing one win in their final two games to reach the tournament, the Falcons (8-11 overall, 7-10 in Colonial League) saw their season come to an end after losses to Northwestern (7-5) and Southern Lehigh (6-1) last week.

"It was disappointing, especially when we had the opportunity to do it that last week," head coach Ken Choquette said. "We couldn't get one of those two games under our belts. It was definitely disappointing. The seniors were very disappointed in not being able to get into the playoffs again."

The Falcons weren't able to duplicate their postseason berth from a year ago, but they did put together another successful season that saw them compete in virtually every game.

Of the Falcons' 11 losses, eight of them were by two runs or fewer. Five of those defeats were by a single run. Their two-run loss to Northwestern may have been the most heartbreaking of them all, a victory that would've qualified the Falcons for districts.

"In some ways we were more competitive this year than last," Choquette said. "Last year when we lost to teams, we lost by a bunch of runs.

"We were always in the games. Unfortunately, we had too many defensive mistakes and errors. We gave up too many unearned runs, and that was a problem when we lost a bunch in a row."

With the end of the season, the careers of three seniors is also in the books. Captain Meghan Williams, who batted a team-high .383 with 14 RBIs and 16 runs, anchored the Falcons' infield at the shortstop position. Catcher Thayla Creswell (.948 fielding percentage and 10 runs) and third baseman Melissa Kugler (.327 batting average and 7 RBIs) were the other senior captains.

"Meghan and Thayla were captains last year, and they were captains this year along with Melissa," Choquette said. "All three have really different personalities that helped lead the team."

There is plenty returning next year, however. Junior first baseman Rachel Costantini, who batted .381 with a team-high 19 RBIs and 15 runs, figures to be one of the main pieces moving forward. Freshman Anna Bishop also hit .381 with 12 RBIs, and freshman Lilia Crouthamel (.236 batting average, .939 fielding percentage) is, according to Choquette, "the best defensive centerfielder I have seen."

The pitching duo of freshman Laura Costello and sophomore Brooke Rogers return as a solid one-two punch in the circle for Salisbury. In 61.2 innings, Costello went 2-5 but produced a solid 3.18 ERA and struck out 37 batters. Rogers went an even 5-5 with 36 strikeouts and a 3.72 ERA.

Both Costello and Rogers were also solid in the batter's box. Rogers batted .354 with 13 runs and 10 RBIs, while Costello hit .341 with 10 runs and 11 RBIs.

"We're going to have a very young team again, even younger than with us having five freshmen on the team this year," Choquette said. "The talent of the freshmen class, with having a year under its belt, is going to help the team move forward and try to replace the powerful seniors that we're losing."