Excelsior Springs varsity softball coach Megan Gilbertson and her Tigers almost notched a 20-win season.

The local girls finished 19-10. Their season ended Oct. 17 in St. Joseph with an 11-5 loss to Chillicothe in the Class 3 District 8 Tournament semifinals.

Defensive miscues hurt Excelsior Springs early, as the top-seeded Hornets capitalized on those mistakes by building a seven-run lead, forcing the Tigers to play catchup the rest of the way.

Alyssa Dean and Josie Casler led Excelsior Springs with two hits apiece. Casler, a junior, also had two RBIs.

Pitcher Kayden Rogers took the loss, yielding seven runs through two

innings. Only one run was earned.

Keira Romazon pitched four innings in relief. The junior struck out eight and allowed four earned runs.

The loss followed a 9-1 thumping of Benton Oct. 16, also in St. Joseph, in Excelsior Springs’ district opener. The Tigers built a 5-1 lead through four innings by tacking up two runs in the first inning, two more in the third and a single r…