For some Cary Post 67 Senior Legion members, this was the last time they would play a competitive baseball game. Others will be playing in college next year.

No matter the players' future plans, their summer plans were to return Cary's Senior Legion team to the state tournament - and to try to win it all.

But Cary fell flat in the state tournament last weekend at Morehead City, losing its first two games and ending its season 22-10 overall.

It wasn't for a lack of hitting either.

Cary scored seven runs in each of its two games, but lost 11-7 to High Point Post 87 in the tournament opener and 10-7 to Morehead City Post 46 in an elimination game.

Errors doomed Cary's chances against High Point.

"We were not sharp in any aspect of the game," Cary coach Robert Stephenson said.

Against Morehead City, errors came back to haunt Cary late in the game - as did pitching woes.

"Our defense was really not up to par for this level of competition and not up to par on how we had played all year," Stephenson said.

"We had a 7-1 lead and we could not hold it. That was a combination of our bullpen struggling to adjust to the strike zone and our fielding not being at the level we're used to."

Cary actually finished its year on a three-game losing streak, also falling 17-2 to Wayne County Post 11 in a one-game series to determine Area I's top seed going into the state tournament.

It was a surprising end for a team that went 7-1 in its three previous playoff series.

"Our guys are bitterly disappointed," Stephenson said. "We knew we had the talent to make a run in this tournament.

"They could've played anywhere they wanted to this summer but they chose to come back and play for us ... and I enjoyed being around them."