By the end of a festive and fan-packed Austin Area Softball All-Star Game, the scoreboard gleamed a 5-1 win for the North squad.

But for the dozens of 2010 graduates in Wednesday’s game at Westlake High School, the score meant little compared to the camaraderie of the contest and bittersweetness of a final prep appearance.

“High school softball is all about having fun, and this was definitely a fun way to end it,” Westlake pitcher Hannah Slovacek. “I’ve played against most of these girls since I was young, but you never get to know them. It’s nice finally getting to talk with some of them.”

Slovacek did more than talk in the contest while starting in the circle for the South squad. The Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) recruit threw two strong innings and gave up one hit and one unearned run while striking out a pair of all-stars. She gave way to the next pitcher with the game tied 1-1.

Slovacek had plenty of company from her Westlake teammates. MacKenzie Whyte, Westlake’s starting shortstop for the past three years, played three innings at third base and went 2-for-3 at the plate. Classmate Michelle Blake garnered playing time in left field and was hit by a pitch in her one plate appearance.

According to Whyte, the limited playing time – the South squad included 28 of the 53 players in the game – cut into the competition without hampering the fun.

“It’s hard to make it competitive when you’re only playing a few innings, but it’s great to meet all these girls,” said Whyte, a Boise State University recruit. “But we were hoping to get the win there at the end.”

Whyte did her part in the waning moments of the game. With the South trailing 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Westlake graduate led off with a sharply hit single into left field. However, pitcher Katelin Wolff of La Grange sandwiched a fly out and ground out around a K to escape the inning without any damage.

Wolff ran into trouble in the eight after a pair of walks and single, but she enticed Whyte into a flyout to center field with the bases loaded. The East Tennessee State pitching recruit then capped her MVP night for the North with a scoreless ninth frame.

For the game, Wolff threw five scoreless innings and gave up three hits with seven strikeouts. The North had only two pitchers on its roster, compared to five for the South.

The South rose up for an early lead when Mandy Ogle of New Braunfels Canyon drove in Cassie Tysarczyk of Smithson Valley for a first-inning run.

Vista Ridge’s Rachel Burton tied the game in the second inning after she scored on a sacrifice fly by high school teammate Coralee Ramirez. The North then stretched its lead to 3-1 with a 2-RBI single from Pflugerville’s Tori Gomez in the third inning.

A wild pitch allowed Burnet’s Kerstyn Towsley to cross the plate in the fifth frame for the North, and Megan Moore of Elgin drove in Anna Hollingsworth of Lago Vista for the final run with a towering double off the wall.

Hays’ Amanda Ruiz, a Ranger College (Ranger, Texas) recruit, earned MVP honors for the South after a pair of spectacular catches in the outfield and one scoreless inning on the mound.

After the game, Westlake’s future collegians reflected on their sterling prep careers with fondness.

“I think Georgetown will be a little more business, so this was a fun way to end it all,” Slovacek said. “Really, that’s what I’ll remember most about high school: We all went out there and had fun.”

For Whyte, however, one of her career’s most competitive moments proved most memorable.

“I remember that first Smithson Valley playoff game as a sophomore [a 10-inning, 1-0 win by top-ranked Smithson Valley],” she said. “That first game was so competitive and so much fun. I loved that and, really, all the playoff games.”

For Whyte and Slovacek, who have spent the past month playing for the same Houston-based club team, such competition offers just a taste of what’s to come.