DUBOIS –– Sometimes, a team’s magic just runs out.

After 16 straight wins, a district championship and the school’s first state playoff victory, that’s exactly what happened to Oswayo Valley in Thursday’s 7-2 defeat to Greensburg Central Catholic in the state quarterfinals at DuBois’ Showers Field. The fielding wasn’t as sharp, the pitching didn’t hit its marks and the timely hitting –– the Green Wave seemed to always lay down an opportune bunt or come up with an opposite-field RBI –– didn’t come through, ending the Green Wave’s season at 20-3.

“There’s probably not a whole lot to say,” Oswayo Valley head coach Brad Buchholz said. “I’m going to congratulate them on a fabulous season. I’m going to put this loss on my shoulders. I don’t think I had the kids prepared for it. Again, I picked a bad day to coach poorly.”

After winning the District 9 title in 2015 and coming up short in the title game last season, the Green Wave rattled off a long winning streak this season on their way to the school’s second-ever district championship. Then on Monday in the state playoffs, Oswayo Valley provided enough offense on either side of a lengthy rain delay and got its usual solid defense and pitching to move by District 7’s Union, 8-3.

“I think we’ve shown that District 9 is pretty strong,” Buchholz said, as Clarion and Elk Catholic took the field for pregame warmups in the other state quarterfinal game scheduled Thursday night at Showers Field. “To beat ECC, DCC and Clarion for the district championship, that’s really an accomplishment. That’s the gauntlet. We beat the best teams.”

All this success came after the team struggled in the early portion of the season to replace six graduated seniors from last year’s state-playoff team.

“At one point there during the beginning of the season,” Buchholz said, “I wasn’t sure we’d get through our league, let alone win a district championship where we beat three quality teams in ECC, DCC and Clarion.”

The Green Wave, however, weren’t at their best Thursday night. The pitching staff of Ryan Graves, Gage Babcock and Jacob Karr combined to walk 10, while the usually solid defense suffered from a few costly miscues that allowed the Centurions to round the bases and pad their lead late in the game.

After Babcock relieved Graves in the fourth with the bases loaded, Greensburg Central Catholic’s Paul Rice knocked a two-out double to the outfield, scoring three and erasing a 2-0 advantage the Green Wave had built up with runs in the second and third innings.

Graves finished with seen walks, but allowed just one hit, in the lefty’s three-plus innings of work.

“I think I needed to do a better job having him prepared for this game,” Buchholz said. “He struggled a little bit with his control. That’s as much on me as him. Again, we don’t have a lot of numbers. We’re not real deep.

“Without Ryan Graves, I can tell you we’re not 20-2 and have a district championship. He had a rough game, but he’s going to grow from that because we’re going to rely on him heavily again next year. We’re not here without what he’s done. He’s had a fantastic season.”

Greensburg Central Catholic added another two runs in the fifth before finally adding a seventh run in the top of the seventh to go ahead 7-2. Babcock, who finished 1-for-4 with a run scored, singled in the bottom of the seventh before older brother Garret walked. A long fly ball to deep centerfield by cleanup hitter Grant West was caught, ending the Green Wave’s season, as well as West and Garret Babcock’s high-school careers.

“I’ve coached both of them since T-ball,” Buchholz said. “Again, they’re both special players and I look forward to seeing what they do in the game of life.”

Greensburg Central Catholic plays Monday against Clarion, which shut out Elk Catholic, 3-0, in the second half of the doubleheader in DuBois. The winner of that game advances to the state championship game.

At DUBOIS

Greensburg CC 000 321 1   7 4 2

Oswayo Valley   011 000 0   2 4 2

Antonio Cavallo (2 SOs, 6 BBs), Arthur Conforti (1 BB) and Paul Rice

Ryan Graves (3 SOs, 7 BBs), Gage Babcock (1 SO, 2 BBs), Jacob Karr (1 BB) and Karr, Camden Graves