The state run for the Prince Edward-Farmville Youth Association (PEFYA) Ponytails All-Star softball team came to an end after three games over the weekend.

Amherst won 5-4 on Sunday to eliminate PEFYA from the Dixie Softball Ponytails State All-Star Tournament in Goochland.

Going into the tourney, “if you had told me we would have only won one game, I would have called you crazy,” PEFYA Manager Larry Conwell said. “I thought we had a shot at (winning the tournament), but that’s how it goes.”

His team, which won its district tournament, won its first game of the state tournament 14-4 over the Emporia All-Stars on Friday. Then the Goochland All-Stars handed PEFYA a 6-0 loss on Saturday.

As for the contest against Amherst, “it was a good game,” Conwell said. “We played good. We just had a few errors and just didn’t pull it off.”

His team was aided in the circle during the tournament by Danner Allen, Kyla Edmonds and Alyson Lucas.

“Those three pitched all weekend, and they pitched well all weekend,” Conwell said.

On offense, the location of hits turned out to be key for PEFYA.

“We hit the ball well the first game, and we hit the ball all weekend, but the other two games, it was like (our opponents) had a magnet in their gloves and the ball,” Conwell said. “It was just like every time we hit it, it was just straight to them.”

He also credited opposing teams for simply playing good defense.

Most of the hits that PEFYA generated across the three games were base hits, but Conwell said that “in the last game against Amherst, Kyla Edmonds did hit a two-run home run over the (centerfield) fence, so that was a bright spot.”

The blast came in the first inning and put her team up 2-1.

Reflecting on his team, Conwell praised the girls for their chemistry and good-natured approach to one another and the game.

“They’re a good group of girls,” he said. “They’re all friends. Nobody blames each other. … When somebody made a mistake, nobody was fussing at them.”