MIDDLEBORO — The Middleboro High School baseball team got the bats going in the second round of the playoffs against Grafton High School and, despite putting up 9 runs, the Sachems’ season came to an end on Monday night.

“Grafton came in here and played an excellent game and we had some really great practices leading up to today,” head coach Jeff Sylvia said. “The kids never gave up and I couldn’t be prouder of my team.”

The 13th-seeded Sachems played at home June 2 but fell to the 20th-seeded Grafton Gators, 14-9. The Sachems ended with a 13-7 record in a season Sylvia described as “a lot of fun.”

“They’re a fun group of guys to be around and I think that’s what I’m going to miss the most,” Sylvia said. “Being with the team was always the best part of my day and it was amazing to come out here.”

Sylvia added the end goal of every season is to win a state championship and, while they did not reach that goal, he said the team’s seniors have left a lasting impact on the underclassmen.

“Our seniors left a great legacy for us,” he said. “They provided such a great example of what it takes to be a successful program and hopefully we can build on that.”

One of those seniors was Danny Moseley, who said he wouldn’t pick a different group of guys to spend his baseball career with.

“The shortstop was on my Little League team and I played with a lot of these guys through middle school, summer ball and up through high school,” Moseley said. “We’ve had a strong bond for 10 years and we’ll still have a strong bond 20 years down the road.”

As the season progressed, he said he witnessed the next generation of Sachems baseball grow.

“It was great seeing all the underclassmen evolve and become not just better baseball players but better young men too,” Moseley said.

He added the future is bright for the team and expects the underclassmen to continue to put strong seasons together.

“I think they’ll be good and they got great talent coming up, especially in the freshman class,” he said. “I think the seniors next year will take care of the team well and be good leaders.”

Sophomore Shannon Sylvia said the loss left a bad taste in his mouth but knows the team will bounce back even stronger next year.

“Everyone needs to get in the weight room and we need to prepare better mentally,” Shannon said. “We need to take the loss with a grain of salt and move on.”

Throughout the year, Shannon said the biggest lesson learned was all about having fun.

“You play best when you’re having fun,” he said. “If you’re not having fun then you’re not playing great.”