The Mathews High School varsity softball season came to an abrupt end on Tuesday at the Dream Fields in Lancaster, as the region’s top-seeded Lancaster Red Devils narrowly defeated the MHS Lady Blue Devils, 6-5, in the Class 1 Region A semifinals, with the winner earning a berth to the state championships. To advance to Tuesday’s regional semifinals, Mathews crushed the Charles City Panthers on Friday in Charles City, 12-2. “It was just a tough, tough loss,” coach J.J. Ashberry said following Tuesday’s defeat to Lancaster. “Unfortunately, a couple of defensive mistakes were costly, giving up four unearned runs, but we made some huge plays as well. I feel terrible for the seniors, but today gives the returning members a lot to look forward to and grow on as our future looks bright. We’ve proven we’re as good as anyone in our region, but we have a lot of work to do as well, he said.” Charles City On Friday, Mathews was dominant from the opening pitch as the #5 seed Lady Blue Devils faced...