Photo by Nick Henthorn The John Marshall Monarchs, pictured with their Class AAA runner-up trophy Thursday at South Charleston's Little Creek Park.

CHARLESTON — John Marshall’s trip to Little Creek Park for the WVSSAC Class AAA State Tournament was a roller-coaster, a three-day journey that had them in the championship finals on Thursday, the top-seeded Monarchs facing No. 2 Winfield.

The ride ended there for John Marshall, who finished as Class AAA state runners-up after a hard-fought 7-3 defeat in extra-innings to Winfield. But even with their season coming to an end, John Marshall head coach Rob Blake saw plenty of positives.

“I lose three seniors off this team, so now everyone gets a taste of it,” Blake said after the game. “Now they’re going to be hungry to come back next year and finish the job. That’s my take.”

John Marshall struck first Thursday, scoring three runs in the bottom of the third. Winfield, though, scored one in the fifth inning and two in the sixth inning to tie the game, and after scoreless frames pushed the game to an eighth inning, the Generals broke through with a four-run frame to secure their fourth-straight state championship.

Winfield had beaten John Marshall 9-0 in five innings on Wednesday. The rematch proved much more competitive.

“We could have laid down, and they came back and battled after getting beat, run-ruled by them yesterday,” Blake said. “They responded well today. We played a couple good softball games. I’m really proud of them.”

Thursday’s matchup against Winfield was the second game of the day for John Marshall, who earned entry into the finals by defeating Herbert Hoover 7-4 Thursday morning.

Multiple games is the name of the game in the state tournament, with the Monarchs playing five games in three days. Would John Marshall have beaten Winfield, the Monarchs would have had to turn around and play them again in the double-elimination format.

“You know what, It would have been more of a challenge to have to play that next one,” Blake said. “Playing three in a day is tough. I mean, two’s tough, but we play doubleheaders all the time. But playing a couple yesterday and one the day before– we’ll be more geared for it next year. Next year I think we got a pretty good chance of making a run.”

It is for good reason that Blake already has his eyes on next year– most of his team is returning. Only three seniors populated this year’s Monarch roster, though each were contributors. Masyn Inclan, Kaylee White and Riley Polsinelli each donned their uniforms for the final time Thursday.

“It’s been three years since we’ve been down here, and Masyn and Kaylee were a part of the 2023 team,” Blake said. “They started as freshmen on that team when we won it, and they really were hungry to go out in their senior season the same way.”

Inclan and White each had two hits Thursday. White smacked two doubles, scored a run and had one RBI. Inclan drove in two runs. The senior duo were John Marshall’s two- and three-hitters much of the season.

Emma King also had a two-hit day for John Marshall.

King and Nora Shock each reached to start the bottom of the third, and White knocked in King with a hit to shallow right field. Inclan slapped a ground ball that took an odd bounce to get by the shortstop, scoring both Shock and White and giving John Marshall an early lead.

Meanwhile, Ella Finley was dealing inside the circle. The junior threw 4.2 no-hit innings before the Generals finally got some action on the basepaths, Emma Black knocking in a run to trim the Monarch lead going into the sixth.

Finley pitched into the sixth inning, but a couple of base runners to start the sixth prompted Blake to insert Lily Dijkstra into the game. Dijkstra had been JM’s primary pitcher in the tournament, and had pitched all seven innings of John Marshall’s earlier game against Herbert Hoover.

Both of Dijkstra’s inherited runners scored on a single by Rylee McClellan, but the sophomore got out of the inning after that.

“She did about everything that you could ask,” Blake said of Finley. “She had a no-hit for four and 2/3 innings. She came out and she pitched really well. Good thing is I get them back. Ella’s just a junior and Lily’s only a sophomore, so I get them all back.”

Dijkstra was dealing with blister problems but battled through to a clean seventh inning, getting the final out with a strikeout looking.

It was two big swings of the bat that made the difference for Winfield in the top of the eighth though– a two-run single by Brooklyn Cole and a two-run double by Madeline Taylor.

Inclan started the bottom of the eighth with a base hit, but the Monarchs couldn’t build any more traction.

Inclan and Dijkstra were named to the All-Tournament team after the game.