ABILENE – The Bangs Lady Dragons overcame a nine-run deficit and carried a three-run advantage into the final inning, only to witness the Forsan Lady Buffs piece together a rally of their own and end Bangs’ 21-game win streak, 16-13, Thursday in Game 1 of a Region I-2A softball semifinals series at Abilene Christian University.

Games 2 and 3, if needed, of the series between District 6 champion Bangs (28-5) and District 4 runner-up Forsan (27-8) will begin at 5 p.m Friday back at ACU’s Wells Field.

Trailing 8-0 after one inning and 9-0 heading to the bottom of the second, Bangs closed the gap to 9-3 in the home half of the second, 9-6 in third and grabbed a 10-9 edge through four innings. Forsan pulled even at 10 in the top of the fifth, and the Lady Dragons answered with the final three runs in the bottom of the frame. Leading 13-10 heading to the final inning, Bangs yielded six runs in the top of the seventh and was retired in order in the bottom of the frame.

Jadyn Miller homered twice and drove in three runs for Bangs, while Emily Baker and Bailey Mendieta led the way with three hits apiece. Cheyenne Rush, Abby Wolf and Julianna Ethridge also contributed a pair of hits, while Neeley Bradley, Sierra Lorah and Jordan Vasquez chipped in one hit each. Rush and Bradley both produced a pair of RBIs, while Lorah and Baker added one RBI each.

The winner of the series will face either Stamford or Colorado City in the Region I-2A championship round next weekend, with a berth in the state tournament at stake. Stamford won Game 1 of that series, 2-0, Thursday night.