WASHINGTON – The Ridgecroft School softball team dropped their Tarheel Independent Conference opener here Monday. The Lady Rams came up on the short end of a one-run contest, 5-4, to the Lady Knights of Terra Ceia Christian School.

Erin Cooke absorbed the loss for Ridgecroft giving up five runs, two of them earned, while surrendering four hits and walking three. She also had six strikeouts in six innings. Katlyn Stotesberry picked up the win for Terra Ceia in relief of Jody Bower. Stotesberry pitched three innings allowing no runs on a pair of hits while walking none and striking out 4.

In the top of the first inning Lauren Boone and Ruthie Daniels drew back-to-back base-on-balls. Boone later scored on a two-out RBI single from Bailey Vann to give the Rams the early 1-0 lead.

Terra Ceia came back to knot the score in the bottom of the second inning, scoring on a passed ball before the Knights went ahead in the bottom of the third when they picked up a pair of unearned runs for a 3-1 lead.

Ridgecroft would tie and take the lead in the very next half-inning when they scored three runs in the top of the fourth. Back-to-back base hits by Holly Robinson and Cooke led off the frame and that was followed by a booming two-run double by Emily Grace that tied the game at 3-3. The Rams went ahead later when Grace scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball for a 4-3 Ridgecroft lead.

However, the Knights would come back to win it in the bottom of the fifth inning. A seeing-eye single led off the frame followed by a two-run home run over the left center field fence by Nora Grissom.

Ridgecroft collected just one more hit the rest of the game, going down in order in the top of the seventh.

Erin Cooke led the Ram attack at the plate, going 2 for 3 while Bailey Vann went 2 for 2 and drove in a run. Emily Grace was 1 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI and Holly Robertson finished at 2 for 4.

Ridgecroft falls to 0-1 on the young season and will host Northeast Academy today (Thursday) in Ahoskie.