For the first 4 1/2 innings of Carroll's Class 2A Sectional 37 semi-final loss to Fountain Central, the Cougars seemed to be in complete control.

Carroll had just scored its second run in the top-half of the 5th inning to take a 2-0 lead in a game that, up until that point, seemed to be playing out like so many others in Sectional competition - wellpitched, closely-played nailbiters that come down to the wire and are decided by two runs or less.

To that point, the Cougars were cruising with flawless defense, not allowing a single base-runner past second base, while senior ace Riley Eller was dominating on the mound. He pitched a no-hitter through four innings, striking out eight of the 12 outs recorded thus far, including all three outs of the 4th inning.

Then, came the bottom-half of the 5th inning.

The Mustangs (20-8) brought the best record into the Sectional. They had proven to be a team that takes advantage of opportunity, often parlaying it into a big inning to take control of a game as they had shown with a 7-run 6th inning in their 8-4 Sectional opening win over Delphi. They did just that again against Carroll.

Using timely hitting, led by Brent Nelson's three-run double with one out and the bases loaded and six walks in the 5th inning, Fountain Central scored six runs to take a 6-2 lead that declawed the Cougars.

Eller, relieved on the mound by Brad Benson, left the game after allowing only three hits. Both Carroll hurlers seemed to have to hit a pie plate for a strike call, combining to yield 11 walks overall in the contest.

The Cougars got a pair of singles from Adam Spesard and Skylar Bagwell in the topof the-6th inning, but it was not enough to narrow the 6-2 FC margin.

Carson Spesard came on in relief in the 6th and retired the side, but Carroll went down in order in its last at-bat, giving the Mustangs a berth in the Sectional championship against Clinton Central, who defeated Seeger 4-3 in the other semi-final match-up.

Carroll scored the first run of the game in the 4th inning as Eller reached base on an error to lead-off the inning. He scored on Drew Yoder's grounder to shortstop after advancing on Jarvis Simmons' infield hit.

Bagwell then led-off the 5th inning with a single, advanced to second on Travis Marvin's sacrifice bunt, and scored on Thomas Gillam's single an out later to take the short-lived 2- 0 lead.

The Cougars had six hits - all singles - led by Bagwell with two, while Eller, Gillam, Simmons and A. Spesard added a hit apiece. Yoder and Gillam had an RBI apiece.

Fountain Central went on to defeat the Bulldogs 4-0 in the championship game Thursday afternoon to win the Delphi Sectional and advance to the Wabash Regional, where it lost to Bluffton 4-3 in 8 innings on Saturday.

Lewis Cass then defeated Bluffton 4-1 in the final to advance to the South Bend Semi-State this weekend.

Carroll finished the season at 10-12.