One run away from taking over first place in the North Cascades Conference Friday, the Falcon baseball team may have felt the sting of karma Friday.

Having won a string of games in the final inning or by a single run, the second-place Falcons died by that which they lived by: The seventh-inning comeback.

Up 7-5 in the top of the seventh with two outs against the NCC-leading Lakewood Cougars, the Falcons faltered as the day’s starter, Logan Hanna, ran out of gas. Ill from the start of the game, Hanna held things together long enough to get his team in the lead, but fell victim to a two-RBI single that tied the contest. The Cougars would go on to batter the Falcon bullpen in the ninth for nine runs to secure their place as the NCC leaders, 16-7.

On Monday, the Falcons dropped their final home game of the season 3-2 to Nooksack Valley. Nonetheless, the 10-5 Falcons head into district playoffs with their best record and ranking years as the No. 2 team in the NCC.

Of the two games, Friday’s had most of the drama. The Falcons, who had beaten the Cougars 7-1 earlier in the week, grabbed the lead early and held it into the seventh inning, to the delight of a crowd of more than 100 fans.

After the Cougars scored one in the second, the Falcons posted two of their own when baserunners Conley White and Joel Friesen came home on a Joey Smith single.

In the third, senior Eric Flister banged a bases-loaded double to pick up three RBIs and put his team up 5-1. In the fourth, Andrew Hosmer led off with a triple and scored on a Danny Parra sacrifice.

South Whidbey got its last run in the sixth when Michael Osburn came home on a Smith sacrifice fly.

On the mound, Hanna stayed in the game until the ninth inning, when he had to be relieved by three of his teammates in succession. Though the pitching staff put out Lakewood’s leadoff hitter, a disputed call at second place started a nine-run pounding and ended the game.

In Tuesday’s loss, Falcon Stefan Kolbo (4-2) went the distance on the mound, striking out six and walking two.

On Saturday, the Falcons travel to Mount Vernon’s Sherman Anderson Field for a 4 p.m. playoff game.