PEARL — Nothing has come easy in St. Al’s run for another state title.

Why should the final hurdle be any different?

Earlier this season, there were the injuries to Justin Rushing and Ryno Martin-Nez. There were the two losses to Cathedral and the resulting loss of confidence. The Flashes weathered the storm and got to Trustmark.

But now, they have to ride out one final sea filled with gales and swells Friday at 10 a.m.

Wednesday’s Game 2 loss was a microsm of the low points of St. Al’s season.

There were the moments that made St. Al fans realize how cruel the game really is.

Like Blake Haygood’s diving catch of a Adam Baker fly ball in center. He dove for it, rolled and came up with the ball securely in his glove. Never did it bounce out.

But the umpires conferred and ruled that he trapped the ball. The lead run scored as a result. In the bottom of the inning, Haygood hit a similar line drive to center and there was an almost identical rolling catch by Myrtle’s center fielder. This one, however, was ruled an out.

Then there were the missed opportunities.

There was Regan Nosser’s at-bat with bases loaded and one out in the top of the seventh. Despite a strong outing in the box, Nosser struck out, unable to connect with a 3-2 curveball. Good at-bat, but as the saying goes, a stellar .400 hitter like Nosser is only successful four times out of 10. Next batter Judson Gatling popped out to end the frame and strand three runners.

Cruel yet again.

But the game shouldn’t have come down to a single at-bat.

The bottom line is that Ryno Martin-Nez had a great performance. After getting touched up by Jimel Judon’s two-run bomb and a few more hits, he settled down, threw strikes and pitched well.

“Ryno pitched a hell of a game,” St. Al catcher Brendan Beesley said. “He pitched well enough for us to win.”

Offensively, the Flashes struggled against Judon, Myrtle’s No. 2 pitcher, despite grinding him down with long at-bats. By the time the seventh inning had rolled around, his delivery slowed as his pitch count zoomed into triple digits.

His fastball, which topped around 84 mph, was down to the high 70s. His curveball didn’t have its earlier snap. Yet, the Flashes were unable to string together enough hits against him to get anything done.

Now, Wednesday is done.

Stephen Evans, the winner of Game 1, will throw Game 3 with fellow senior Nosser and Reed Evans ready in relief.

The defense, stellar in Game 1 and more or less mistake-free in Game 2, won’t be a question mark either.

The difference between a St. Al repeat and a disappointing end will be the Flashes’ bats.

Wednesday was an opportunity lost. Friday presents a new one.

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Steve Wilson is sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. You can follow him on Twitter at vpsportseditor. He can be reached at 601-636-4545, ext. 142 or at swilson@vicksburgpost.com.