EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Patrick & Henry Community College softball battled for more than three hours Wednesday night before falling to Region 10 rival Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute 8-7 in a dramatic 13-inning contest at the NJCAA Division III Softball World Series.

The game ended on the final play of the night when Caldwell's Zoe Cheek delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 13th inning.

Despite the loss, the Patriots put together one of their strongest offensive performances of the postseason, out-hitting Caldwell 16-15 in a back-and-forth battle between familiar conference opponents.

P&HCC wasted no time offensively, jumping ahead in the first inning behind an RBI single from sophomore Hannah Haynes (Virginia Beach, Va.) before sophomore Kylie Cooper (Wirtz, Va.) launched a two-run home run to center field to give the Patriots an early advantage.

Haynes turned in a huge performance at the plate, finishing with four hits to lead the Patriots offensively. Cooper added two RBI, while freshman Sierra Custer (Grottoes, Va.), freshman McKenzie Cobb (Yanceyville, N.C.), sophomore Laura Brown (Verona, Va.), and sophomore Morgan McCrary (Bassett, Va.) all recorded multiple hits in the marathon game.

Sophomore Aris Smith (King George, Va.) took the loss in relief after throwing seven and one-third innings while striking out seven. Caldwell's Sadie Messer allowed seven runs over seven innings before Cheek earned the win in relief.

The Patriots appeared poised to pull away before Caldwell rallied to tie the game in the sixth inning on a triple down the right field line from Ally Greer. From there, both teams traded punches deep into extra innings before the Cobras finally broke through in the 13th.

Head Coach Robbi Campbell praised the toughness and fight shown by his group throughout the night.

"That's one of the hardest-fought games we've played all year," Campbell said. "Our kids competed every inning and never backed down. Obviously it hurts, but there's still a lot of softball left for us in this tournament."

P&HCC will now turn its attention to an elimination game Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. The Patriots will face the winner of Erie and Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester as they continue play at the NJCAA Division III Softball World Series.

For continued updates from the NJCAA Division III Softball World Series, visit phccsports.com.