Updated at 3:30 p.m.

The Saline softball team got two outs from the program’s first-ever trip to Battle Creek. But the Hornets couldn’t extend their record-breaking season in the face of a late rally from one of the state’s top programs.

Mattawan’s Abby Stoner hit a game-tying home run in the seventh inning and a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth as her team pulled away for a 7-3 win Tuesday afternoon at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium.

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The loss, which comes three days after Saline won the program’s first-ever regional title, ends the Hornets season at 33-3, one win shy of the state semifinals in Battle Creek this weekend.

“We had this thought in the beginning of the season to get to Battle Creek, and it’s really disappointing that we didn’t,” sophomore catcher Katie Alexander said. “But it gives us more motivation to come back next year.”

Mattawan’s two home runs capped a hectic end to the game, after the Wildcats tied the game in the sixth and seventh and took their first lead of the game in the eighth.

After Saline jumped out to a two-run lead after four innings, Mattawan manufactured a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game.

The second of those runs came on a fielding error, one of four total errors the Hornets made on the day. The first two both put a second runner on base with less than two outs, but Saline managed to get out of both jams.

The third error allowed Mattawan’s Dani Hillsburg to score the game-tying run in the sixth inning.

“You’re allowed to make mistakes, but if you keep making the same mistake, it’s going to bite you,” Saline coach Alicia Seegert said. “It was a life lesson for these kids.”

The Hornets looked like they would be able to recover from the frame, after, Laura Vaccaro singled with two outs in the bottom of the inning and Alexander hit an RBI double to give the Hornets a 3-2 lead with three outs to go.

But with one out in the top of the seventh, Stoner hit a solo home run over the right-center field fence to tie the game.

“I thought, ‘Well let’s just go get three outs,’ but the game could go either way any time, so you just have to be ready for anything,” Alexander said.

Mattawan put the winning run on base due to an error, but Hornets pitcher Kristina Zalewski struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

Zalewski retired the first two Mattawan batters in the eighth, before a single, a fielders choice and a walk brought up Stoner again with the bases loaded. With no open base to put her on, Saline had no choice but to pitch to Stoner an inning after her big home run.

“She would have never batted, but we made some mistakes and put her in a position,” Seegert said. “I’m proud of that kid, she worked, knew what she had to do and she did it.”

The inning marked the end of a standout high school career for Zalewski, the Michigan State-bound senior playing on what will be her home field next season.

Zalewski pitched a no-hitter in her team’s district title game against Monroe and gave up three earned runs combined in two regional games. But she finishes her career without a coveted trip to Battle Creek, after giving up six earned runs on eight hits.

“A king without a castle,” Seegert said of Zalewski. “She is. We ride behind her, and she’s a great leader.”

Saline scored the first two runs of the game early, starting in the second inning. Vaccaro led off the inning with a double, and after a pair of strikeouts Chelsie Leathers drove her home with a double to the same spot.

Another leadoff double two innings later gave Saline its second run of the game. This time it was Angel Schilke with a liner down the third base line, who was singled home two batters later by Alexander, who drove in two of Salines’ three runs.

The sophomore catcher is one of 11 players eligible to return to a team that graduates only four seniors. And despite Tuesday’s loss, they will be returning to a team coming off its most successful season ever.

“The biggest thing is, the kids for next year, and the little kids who want to go where these kids have gone,” Seegert said. “It’s great for our program.”

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com or 734-623-2535. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.