VIDALIA — Down 5-0 entering the bottom of the seventh inning in a district clash with Franklin Academy, Trinity Episcopal Day School head softball coach Miranda Smith challenged her team to score a run.

The Lady Saints responded, but their comeback bid fell just short, as they took a 5-4 loss.

“I think it was a great ball game,” Smith said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I asked for them to score a run and for us to finish with a goal in mind and accomplish that, and they did. They almost came back and won the ball game.”

The Lady Saints found themselves in a hole early, allowing a run in the first inning and two runs in the third, both of which came with two outs.

The Lady Saints had an opportunity in the bottom half of the third, but were unable to push any runs across, stranding two runners on base.

“When you are 60 feet away, it is hard,” Smith said. “We could have used those opportunities to get runs across and that would have been the difference in the ball game.”

Franklin Academy added to their lead with a run in the fourth and fifth, and once again Trinity stranded two runners on base, this time in the bottom of the sixth.

But the Lady Saints hadn’t lost their fight.

After reaching on a walk, Anna Rodriguez scored on a ball hit to left field by Alli Smith that was dropped. Tali Beard then followed with a two-run triple to right field to cut the lead to 5-3.

Hannah Fitt then reached on an error that allowed Beard to score to bring the Lady Saints within one, but a strikeout and groundout ended the game.

Despite the loss, Smith said she is proud of the effort her team put forward.

“That was a district game, and we haven’t looked that great in district this year, but they did a good job and showed we can play with a team like that,” Smith said.