Alex Eisen/MDN Bishop Ryan junior Abbie McKay (right) slides into second base Saturday in a Class B softball state semifinal contest against Central Cass in Jamestown. The Lions lost 10-5.

JAMESTOWN — All season long it was state championship or bust for head coach Alec Grothe and his Bishop Ryan softball team.

Expectations weren’t met Friday evening in Jamestown, as the West Region No. 2-seeded Lions bowed out in their state title quest with a 10-5 loss to East Region No. 1-seeded Central Cass in the Class B state semifinals at the Lyle “Trapper” Lawrence Field.

An unfulfilled goal and a harsh reality check for the former Class A power – the Lions weren’t the best team in Class B.

Grothe even told his team exactly that after the game. Yet, he had no regrets in setting such a lofty target for his team in his first season coaching at Ryan.

“We had a state title goal in mind,” Grothe said. “If I have the girls think any differently besides winning a state title, then they will set their expectations too low. They worked until the last out and we gave it everything we got.”

Ryan had a 1-0 lead briefly in the top of the third inning Friday after a dropped ball in the outfield plated Grace Candrian.

Central Cass then lit up the scoreboard with nine runs on nine hits across the third and fourth innings.

For the game, shortstop Madison Sweep went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs, pitcher Lexi Buhr went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and first baseman Payton Richter also went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Squirrels. Buhr drilled a two-run home run to left center field in the third.

“I think we put a little bit of pressure on ourselves early on in the game,” Grothe said. “It was just mental errors and starting to press.”

Removing the Central Cass outburst in the third and fourth innings, the only other hit Ryan starting pitcher Olivia Passa gave up was a single to Richter in the fifth. Seventh grader Passa threw her second complete game of the tournament.

The Lions scored twice in the sixth and seventh innings to cut the final deficit to a more reasonable 10-5 defeat. Ryan racked up seven hits, led by Nora Kramer (2-for-4, 2 RBIs and a run) and Candrian (2-for-3, 2 runs). Senior McKinlee Harmon, in her second-to-last game as a Lion, had an RBI triple in the sixth. Fellow senior Eden Kramer delivered an RBI single in the seventh.

“We played with that team the whole way,” Grothe said. “A couple small errors, but we are right there with them. I think talent-wise we are still one of the best teams in the state.”

The departure of Harmon and Eden Kramer will leave a void, but Grothe and the Lions are already looking forward to next year.

“We are still young and we are going to get there. We are going to be in that state title game next year,” Grothe said. “It’s been a learning experience for us the whole time. We are not used to losing. We only had a couple losses all year long. We will see how the girls can battle back tomorrow.”

The Lions face Thompson in the state tournament third-place game at 2 p.m. this afternoon in Jamestown.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.