GRANITEVILLE --- More than four hours after it began playing softball on Friday night, Midland Valley was staring down a difficult task: produce one run in the final inning or its season was over.

The bottom third of the Mustangs' lineup went down in order, and the finest run in school history came to a close. Darlington swept two games from Midland Valley to claim the South Carolina Class AAA Lower State title, winning 8-5 and 1-0.

Midland Valley, which needed to win just once to claim the first Lower State title in school history, couldn't piece together strong enough pitching or hitting to triumph.

"We couldn't get them both (in the same game)," Midland Valley coach Michelle Yeater said.

The second game, which ended just before 10:30 p.m., endured a bit of controversy, and Yeater plans to protest its result to the South Carolina High School League.

Trailing 1-0, the Mustangs loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. Darlington's shortstop fielded a sharp ground ball, and her glove collided with Midland Valley's Haley Sheehan, sprinting for third base.

The ball popped loose, and the home crowd cheered deliriously, because the Mustangs seemingly had tied the game and still had the bases loaded. But the umpires ruled Sheehan interfered with the play, calling her out and ruling the play dead. No run would count.

After the game, Yeater was on her way to the dugout to phone the state association.

Darlington retired the next four batters to cement the win. It will shoot for its first state title against either J.L. Mann or Riverside in a best-of-three state-championship series.

"I hate it had to come down to that, I really do," said Darlington coach Tim Wiley, who said the umpires made the correct call.

A bizarre first game saw the two teams combine for 11 runs in the final two innings. Midland Valley trailed 6-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, but smacked five consecutive singles to trim the lead to one run. A base-running error ended the inning.

Darlington put it away in the top of the seventh with a two-run homer.

Midland Valley couldn't sustain that hitting prowess, which left Yeater addressing a teary-eyed bunch in the outfield after the game. She emerged wiping away her own tears, but stressing the positives.

"(We made) school history," she said in a whisper.