Katy fought until the end.

The Tigers overcame a four run deficit, battled in 90 degree heat for six hours and threw everything they could into this week’s regional quarterfinal series against Cy-Fair.

But no matter what the Tigers tried, no matter how they battled, the bounces wouldn’t go their way on Friday, and the Tigers season came to an end with a 7-5 loss to Cy-Fair in game three of their regional quarterfinal series after losing game two 4-2 .

“That was just a really tough team to play against,” said senior second baseman Sutton Hull. “I’ve never seen a team hit our pitching the way they did and they just attacked one through nine. Their pitchers competed and threw strikes and at the end of the day the ball just fell for them more times than it did for us today unfortunately.”

Katy fell into a 4-0 hole after two innings in game three, giving up two runs in both the first two innings, but Katy didn’t mope or give up, they found a way back into the game in the bottom of the second. Katy loaded the bases and a Jeremy Mazariegos single got the Tigers on the board. Ashten Ballew and Hull added RBI singles and a bases loaded walk to Connor Udland tied the game before AJ Atkinson hit a sacrifice fly that gave Katy the lead.

“I just am proud of the way they battled back in fought all the way through,” said Katy head coach Wes Hearne. “We kept getting runners on but couldn’t get a timely hit, it’s eluded us at times this year and it did again today. It was just tough but I’m proud of the way the guys battled.”

Cy-Fair battled back and scored three in the top of the third and with a two run lead that is all the Bobcats needed. Katy fought, but stranded runners in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, as they couldn’t get the breakthrough to bring in those runners.

“I’m proud of the way we fought,” Hull said. “We didn’t win but when we go home we can look ourselves in the mirror and know that we left everything on the field. This team gave it our all and that’s all that you can ask for. It sucks but at least we know that.”

The Tigers will graduate 11 seniors on the team, including captains in Hull and Atkinson as well as starters in Blake Davila and Jeremy Mazariegos and important pieces of the pitching staff in Aaron Brashear and Arvey Huerta. Those seniors were a huge part in building the culture at Katy and it means everything to the players and coaching staff.

“This place has meant so much to me and to my family,” Atkinson said. “It’s meant the world to me and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to have my high school career. Everyone in that dugout is my family and that’s for life. Nothing can take that away, I love those guys and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to end my high school career with.”

Katy will return plenty of talent next year, but filling those seniors shoes will be a big task.

“They have raised the bar,” Hearne said. “The expectation is set that year in year out we are going to be fighting to get to the regional tournament. The seniors were a huge part of that. They were such a great group of leaders, from the offseason, through district and playoffs, these seniors were always there to set the example and lead the way. It’s going to be hard to replace, but we have a good group going back and hopefully they can continue to raise that bar.”