The Awesome Blossoms were close, but couldn’t finish in an 8-7 loss to Mankato Loyola in BP Thursday.

The game ended when Katelyn Strand knocked a hit up the middle with runners on second and third. Loyola second baseman bobbled the play, but threw Stand out on a close play.

BP (6-2 overall, 3-2 Gopher) also had a runner picked off earlier in the seventh, which saw them score twice.

“It was the closest we’ve been to Loyola in a long time,” BP head coach Alison Mach said. “We had our chances and if Alison hit gets through, we would’ve scored two and won it.”

BP committed four errors, which led to five unearned runs.

“We gave them five outs instead of three in the fourth and fifth innings and that hurt us,” Mach said.

Resha Koster had a solo homer for BP and two RBIs.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

ML 2 0 3 0 3 0 0 8 9 3

BP 1 0 4 0 0 0 2 7 5 4

BP pitching: Erica Manske, 7 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 8 R, 3 ER, 5 K

BP hitting: Tricia DeBoer, 1-for-4, R; Resha Koster, 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBIs, 2 R; Kelly Peterson, 1-for-3, double, 4 RBIs, R; Katelyn Strand, 1-for-3, RBI; Jordan Noble, 1-for-2, R