CORYDON — The Brownstown softball team couldn’t have gotten off to a better start on Monday night in its sectional game against Silver Creek at Corydon Central High School.

Unfortunately for the Braves, their bats cooled off and Silver Creek got going enough in the fifth and sixth innings to take the 5-3 victory.

Brownstown was the home team on the scoreboard, so the Braves started off on defense with Kelsey Schneider in the circle.

Silver Creek opened the game with a single, then the Braves turned an impressive double play. The Dragons tried to bunt the runner over, and as Brownstown threw to first and got the out, Silver Creek tried to advance to third. Kyndle Huddleston made a nice throw across the diamond to Schneider, who covered third, and Brownstown got two outs.

Schneider then led off the bottom of the first with a bunt that she was safe on. Emily Singleton singled to put runners on first and second with no outs. A wild pitch advanced Schneider and Singleton each one base, and then Huddleston hit a ground ball.

As Silver Creek’s third basemen was throwing to first to get Huddleston out, Schneider took off for home. She was safe, and the throw to home was errant, which allowed Singleton to score to make it 2-0.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better start,” head coach Darren Bryant said. “We had that big defensive play that fired us up and kind of took the wind out of their sails, and then we scored two. I thought that was really going to be enough to propel us on through.”

Earlier in the season, Silver Creek beat Brownstown 2-1, so Bryant knew the runs didn’t have to be high.

After the first inning on Monday, no player got on base again until the fifth inning. Schneider and Silver Creek’s Hallie Foley were both pitching well.

The Dragons were able to even up the score 2-2 in top of the fifth. Then in the sixth, Foley hit a solo shot off Schneider to right field to make it 3-2. That’s when Bryant decided to put in Rylin Huddleston for Schneider.

“Kelsey’s shoulder was bothering her a little bit,” Bryant said. “It has for the past week or so, and she told us it was getting sore about middle of that game. I thought she pitched so well and she wanted to keep going, so she gutted it out.”

The Dragons added two more runs in the sixth inning to take a 5-2 lead.

Brownstown got one back in the bottom of the sixth. Emily Singleton tripled, and then Erin Singleton singled to drive in her sister.

That was the last run the Braves would get in the game. Emily Dillman got on second base with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but the Braves couldn’t cash in. Foley went all seven innings for Silver Creek, allowing four hits and striking out five.

“That girl had a nice changeup against us, and it was giving us fits,” Bryant said. “We hit the ball hard a few times. They played good defense and we played good defense.”

“They weren’t giving up,” Bryant continued. “We had good at-bats. It’s hard to be disappointed in the way we played. I thought we played well.”

This was Bryant’s first year as the head coach for Brownstown. The Braves finished with a record of 15-12, and Bryant felt like the Braves were competitive all season long.

Monday also marked the end of the road for Brownstown’s seniors: Emily and Erin Singleton, Brooklyn Watson and Zoe Stuckwish.

“These seniors are a great group,” Bryant said. “They’re gonna be hard to replace. Good leadership, just vocally and by example, and they’re good athletes, going to be hard to replace.”

Silver Creek will take on Corydon on Wednesday in the semifinals. Corydon beat North Harrison 3-0 following Brownstown’s game on Monday.