The War Eagles pushed two seventh-inning runs across the plate and had the tying run coiled in the batter’s box when North Forsyth’s Jason Duncan fired a mitt-popping fastball past Chris Seaford to end the game. It made Davie a 5-3 loser in the opening round of the state 4A playoffs.

“I feel pretty down,” senior catcher Drew Ridenhour said after the Eagles (13-10) were erased from the postseason picture. “I wanted to play some more baseball with these boys.”

That chance was denied, largely because Davie failed to come up with timely hits through the first six innings. The Eagles left nine runners on base — six of them in scoring position — and had the bases loaded when Duncan induced Thadd Johnson to wave at 1-2 curveball that finished the last of the sixth.

“We had lots of baserunners. We just couldn’t get the key hits,” lamented second-year coach Mike Herndon. “We’ve had people step up and do that (this season). It wasn’t for a lack of trying because we were trying our hearts out.”

Duncan had something to do with that. The sophomore left-hander mixed a hissing fastball with a curve that snapped like a yo-yo on a string to earn his fifth victory in six decisions. He collected 11 strikeouts — far short of his season-high 18 — while walking six and throwing two wild pitches.

“Jason wasn’t as sharp as he has been,” winning coach Gene Bowles said, after North (15-11) advanced to a second-round game slated for Friday. “He pitched out of some jams. He’s a guy who wins battles all the time.”

He won a crucial one in the last of the fourth, when Davie ran itself out of a big inning. The hosts trailed 3-0 but seemed poised to rally back when they loaded the bases with none out.

That’s when Davie’s Brad Willard dumped what appeared to be a Texas League single in front of North centerfielder Justin Masencup. But courtesy runner Allen Dyson showed indecisiveness and got a late break from second base, then was easily forced at third. So what looked like a two-run single off the bat went in the books as a run-scoring fielder’s choice.

“It wasn’t bad baserunning but it could have been better,” said Herndon. “The guy on second has to expose his chest to the ball and get what he can. If they catch it, you hustle back to second. If not, you’re rounding third. (Dyson) was running back toward the bag.”

North extended its lead to 5-1 in the top of the fifth when Duncan drilled a two-run homer to left-center against Davie reliever Cody Wright. “That was just a mistake,” said Ridenhour. “He threw it hard but left a fastball up over the plate.”

Davie’s Ross Smith got the final-inning fireworks started with a base hit and quickly scored on Andrew Daywalt’s triple that skipped past sliding rightfielder Travis Brannock. When Zeke Earle drew a one-out walk the Eagles had runners at the corners and Willard, a .300 hitter, stepping in.

“I was hoping we still had a little magic left in us,” said Daywalt, who mustered three of Davie’s six hits. “I was hoping we hadn’t used it all up.”

Unfortunately for Davie, the spell ended after a run-scoring wild pitch — when Willard popped out to shallow center and Seaford couldn’t catch up with a 2-2 heater.

“This team never stopped,” said Ridenhour, who will enroll at Western Carolina in the fall. “We go seven hard innings. We tell people, ‘Don’t ever leave. You don’t know what could happen.’ And we had a bunch of chances, but tonight it just wasn’t meant to be.”

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