DEMOPOLIS &8212; The Tigers&8217; season came to an abrupt and bitter end Saturday as the home team fell in straight games to St. Paul&8217;s 4-1 and 2-0 in Sub-State 2. Despite falling just shy of reaching the state tournament in Montgomery, DHS coach Joey Browder was positive when reflecting on the season.

The two losses Saturday, which ended the Demopolis season at 25-14-1, came largely as the result of one mishap-laden inning in each contest, a phenomena which seemed to periodically plague the girls throughout the 2008 campaign.

That is a focus Browder is likely to maintain with his 2009 team as he looks for leaders to emerge to fill the void created by the six seniors who took the field for the final time Saturday.

Browder, who believes his squad to have been among the most talented in the state, could hardly contain his pride when reflecting on the season, choosing to emphasize the positives that will likely help the program as it moves forward.

Perhaps chief among them is the amount of playing time experienced by underclassmen Jordon Cramer, Kathleen Randall, Carly Latham and Tera Schroeder.

The senior exodus marks the opening of at least five positions that will need to be filled before the Tigers take the field again for regular season competition.

The team will begin weight training, conditioning and agility drills in June before moving to exhibition contests over the summer.