The Royal High baseball team found itself on the big stage under the bright lights.

Maybe the lights were a little too bright.

The Highlanders, playing only their second night game this season, lost sight of two baseballs under the glare of stadium lights in the pivotal third inning.

A deluge ensued in the form of a 10-0 loss to Mater Dei in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 semifinals Tuesday at Blair Field in Long Beach.

The season was one to remember for Royal, even if the players weren’t in the mood to reminisce.

Royal won the Marmonte League and led the standings from wire-to-wire. The Highlanders played deeper into the Division 1 postseason than any other team in school history.

“We definitely overachieved from Day 1,” Royal head coach Dan Maye said. “With these guys, they had chemistry, they worked hard, and we just got better and better as we got along.

“Cody (Buckel) had to be the guy. But other guys grew, blossomed and flourished. This is a great experience. No one wants to lose, and it’s going to hurt. It’s only one game. Unfortunately, it’s in a one-game elimination tournament.”

The Highlanders hung pitch for pitch with the Monarchs and left-handed ace Cory Hahn. Royal countered with its own southpaw, Tyler Abbott, who had three strikeouts in the first two innings of a scoreless tie.

A pair of costly miscues doomed RHS in the third inning.

Hahn and catcher Jeremy Martinez legged out back-toback infield singles.

Konnor Armijo hit what looked like a harmless infield popup up toward Buckel at shortstop. Buckel had trouble following the fly’s trajectory, forcing third baseman Billy Conard, who thought Buckel was going to make the catch, to track the ball at the last moment.

Conard made a full-extension dive but the ball dropped, allowing Hahn to score from second base.

“Everyone was calling, ‘Cody! Cody!’” Conard said. “I had to find it at the last second. We had a little miscommunication.”

Jacob Medina followed with a catchable deep fly to left fielder Justin Greco. The RHS sophomore lost the high-arching shot in the lights, with the ball dropping about 20 feet to his right.

Medina was credited with a two-run double, giving Mater Dei a 3-0 advantage.

“When you run into a buzz saw,” Maye said, “you can’t make mistakes.”

The wheels came off in the fifth inning.

Hahn ripped a leadoff triple to the left-center field gap. Ty Moore followed with an RBI single, while Jeremy Martinez notched an RBI double.

Armijo ended Abbott’s night on the mound by plating Martinez for a 6-0 lead. Abbott finished with six strikeouts.

Royal’s best chance to score came in the bottom of the fourth.

With runners on the corner and only one out, Hahn threw a wild pitch that eluded Martinez. Scott Hockenberry sprinted home from third base. Martinez tossed the loose ball back to Hahn, who tagged out a sliding Hockenberry in a disputed play.

In a moment of serendipity, multiple fans complained about dirt covering home plate before Hahn’s wild pitch.

After the close out, the home plate umpire cleaned up the plate as Maye walked over to dispute the call. After a brief discussion, the Royal skipper stared at home plate for about 10 seconds before trudging to the third base coaching box.

Ryan Tinkham continued his postseason tear for Royal, going 2-for-3 at the plate. He was 9-for-12 in four playoff games.

“I’ve been swinging the bat well,” the junior catcher said. “I’ll take everything I learned this postseason and keep making adjustments and keep working hard.”

San Clemente protested its 3-2 quarterfinal loss to Royal by accusing the Highlanders, specifically Tinkham, of using an illegal bat. The protest was denied by the section because of insufficient evidence.

Maye defended his players, who have had to deal with rumors of playing with rolled bats.

“It’s been going on all season,” the coach said. “People have been crying and trying to find excuses of why they’re losing. They’re finding petty ways of getting back at high school kids.

“We could have had a problem, but our players acted maturely and did a good job.”

With the outcome against Mater Dei no longer in question in the later innings, Maye played every senior on the roster.

Seniors Vito Messina, Connor Detko and Ydmar Gomez made relief pitching appearances. Alex Flandez, Trevor Rapp and Nick Vinyard earned seventh-inning at-bats, with Rapp and Vinyard notching singles. Flandez belted a laser to center field, but was robbed by a diving Hahn.

Sheldon Ekstrand, Ryan Cerda, Buckel, Abbott and Conard are the other seniors who played. Cerda was the only other Highlander to notch a hit.

Royal finished 25-7 overall.

“It’s always tough to lose when we’ve gone this far,” Conard said. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys. This was a great team. I’ve made so many friends on this team. This was a very special year.”