PEARL CITY – The Fulton Steamers had been in this type of situation before. Down a bunch of runs late seemed almost more comfortable than being in a blowout.

But that’s where the Steamers found themselves in the bottom of the seventh inning of the Class 1A Pearl City Sectional semifinal on Wednesday afternoon against Dakota.

Down six runs, Fulton plated five in the last of the seventh – four with two outs. But the Steamers couldn’t get the last one across home plate to tie the game, ultimately falling to the Indians 7-6 to close out their season at 17-8.

“We have had those innings quite a bit,” Fulton coach Brent Dykstra said. “We won several one-run games and lost several one-run games. It’s a sign that our kids persevered all night long.”

Fulton knotted the game up at 1-1 in the last of the fourth when Ryan Eads scored on a wild pitch. From there, Dakota and starting pitcher James Eyster took over. Eyster allowed just two hits through six innings of work, striking out 12 before having to be lifted in the seventh due to pitch count restrictions.

“What is important is that we got the win,” Eyster said. “Strikeouts and all of that is nice, but what’s most important is getting the win and moving on.”

Trailing 7-1 to start the seventh, Fulton chased Eyster on walks by QJ Mangelsen and Ethan Price. After Dom Kramer reached on an error to load the bases, another error plated two runs and pulled the Steamers within 7-3.

Four pitches later, Payton Curley lined a double to left to keep the inning alive. After another walk, AJ Boardman reached on an error, allowing two more runs to score. Fulton eventually got within a run, but a strikeout ended the season for the Steamers.

“Unfortunately, it took us until the last inning to get our spark offensively,” Dykstra said. ‘We had another good inning where we tied it up, and a few of the balls Dakota hit found some open areas, and that’s just the way the ball falls sometimes.”

Fulton stayed in the game thanks in large part to excellent play in the field. Kramer threw out a runner trying to advance to second on a single to the outfield. Eads made a diving catch in the outfield to rob an Indians player of extra bases, and Boardman picked off two runners on the basepaths.

“We have nine seniors that know how to compete and don’t succumb to pressure,” Dykstra said. “We had kids on this team that were here last year. Kids on the football team that went to the quarterfinals, and those same kids that played in a sectional final in basketball. These kids know how to play in pressure situations.”