The Tigers engaged in an epic battle for district supremacy with the Smith County Owls this week, but came up short.

After beating the Owls once in the tourney, the Tigers met them again in Carthage Wednesday. The teams battled scoreless until the fourth inning, when a Logan Cornelius double sent Paxton Butler across the plate to put DeKalb up 1-0.

Smith County tied the score in the seventh, sending the contest into extra innings. The Tigers scored in the top of the eighth when an error by the Owls’ second baseman allowed Matthew Agee to slip across the plate.

The Owls came back to score two in the bottom half of the inning, however, taking a 3-2 win.

The Tigers scored two runs on six hits, committing three errors. The Owls put up three runs on seven hits, and committed three errors as well.

Paxton Butler led the Tiger offensive effort with a single and a double in three at-bats. Logan Cornelius hit a double for DeKalb, while Grayson Redmon and Brady Hughes contributed singles.

The two teams met again on Thursday to determine who moved on in post-season play, but the Tigers fell in another tight game.

The Owls jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first, and Smith added single runs in the second and fourth. DeKalb finally replied with a four-run fifth inning, but the Owls tied the score at 5-5 with another run in the bottom of the bottom of the inning.

Smith County sealed the deal with a run in the bottom of the sixth, and took a 6-5 win.

The Tigers scored five runs on eight hits, committing two errors. Smith scored six runs on only four hits, erring three times.

Jacob Self helped out with a single and a double, batting in three runs. Paxton Butler singled twice, and Grayson Redmon and Lee Randolph belted a double each.

The Tigers end the season at 21-9-1.