A disappointing 2009 season came to a close for the Ballard High School softball team with an 11-1 loss May 13 to Inglemoor.

The Beavers finished the season 1-17, and the loss to Inglemoor was the team's 14th in a row. Ballard's only win was April 8 against Garfield.

"Coming into the season, everyone new that we could not measure ourselves on wins and losses this year," coach Kyle Gray said. "I had heard that this was one of the strongest leagues in the state, and now I know it is."

Ballard had a difficult time keeping up with its opponents offensively and was outscored by 144 runs this season. The Beavers were shutout six times and scored multiple runs in a game only seven times.

"Some of those games looked liked blow-outs, but I will tell you they were a lot closer than the score indicated," Gray said. "I feel like we got better everyday because these girls were coachable and worked extremely hard. But most importantly, they were patient with each other and stayed positive."

The offense did start to get on track for Ballard toward the end of the season.

After scoring 13 runs in the first 11 games of the season, including seven in their one win, the Beavers went on the score 16 runs in the final seven games.

Ballard also went those final seven games without suffering a shutout.

Gray said he expects next season to be different. The returning Sophie Overlock-Pauley, one the best players in the league, coupled with talented freshmen and sophomores will make a difference, he said.

"The future of the Ballard softball program is bright," Gray said.