ALLENTOWN - Every high school athlete realizes that unless they win a state championship, their high school career is going to end with a loss.

Such was the case for the seniors on Marian's softball team when they were eliminated from districts in a 9-0 loss to Salisbury on Tuesday.The Falcons got on the board first in this Class 3A quarterfinal contest with two first-inning runs against pitcher Lyndsey Reinoehl.A leadoff walk was followed by a hit to right. When the ball was misplayed in the outfield, the runners ended up on second and third. One out later, Anna Bishop grounded to short, pushing a run across. Emily Silberman followed with a single to make it 2-0.The Fillies (14-8) hit a lot of balls hard, but weren't able to find spots for them to drop.In the second inning, Abbey Joy walked with one out and was replaced with pinch-runner Jade Ritsick, who stole second. One out later, Emily Shaud hit a ball well, but right to left fielder Kelly Gardus, who made the catch to end the threat."We had a couple of opportunities today, a couple long fly balls that were caught," said Marian head coach Joe DeAngelo. "If you get on the board early, it might change the complexion of the game, and unfortunately, we didn't and they did."Neither team was able to put a whole lot of consistent offense together until the bottom of the fifth.Already leading 3-0, Salisbury's bats came alive. Some key hits, along with three walks and an error, produced five runs.Marian put a runner on second with two outs in the fifth, and then got a one-out double from Miranda Antiga in the sixth. Mackenzie Joy unleashed one of those long fly balls that were caught, but Antiga was able to move to third, where she would be stranded.DeAngelo felt bad for his players, who saw their season come to an end, because of the effort they put into the team's success.He felt especially bad for the seniors, who played a big role in him reaching the 100-win milestone earlier this season, and whose careers came to an end."This year we increased our win total by eight from last year, and they reclaimed the division championship, and that's their third division championship in their four years. They should be very proud of that," said DeAngelo of his senior players.DOWN THE ROAD ... Marian also has some young players who contributed, and DeAngelo is happy with the prospects for the team down the road as those players continue to develop. "They have to take the next step now. They got their feet wet and now, it's their turn," he said.THE TURNAROUND ... DeAngelo said that winning eight more games than the team did last season wasn't that much of a surprise. "I thought that we could with the returning players and the incoming group. I thought that we could blend and do that, but we knew it would be tough."FALCONS FLY ON ... Salisbury advances to the District 11 semifinals, where they'll meet Northern Lehigh. That game is scheduled for Thursday at Patriots Park.Marian 000 000 0 - 0 3 3Salisbury 201 051 x - 9 8 0Reinoehl and Joy; Silberman and Crouthamel. W - Silberman. L - Reinoehl.