WINDSOR – It was billed as a clash of the titans.

Friday afternoon’s contest between Bertie High School and Currituck High School lived up to its billing.

The Lady Knights dashed out to a five-run lead and then held off a furious rally from Bertie to take a 5-4 victory.

“We came out a little over-zealous,” Lady Falcon skipper Jackie Copeland said. “I think we made a few errors that we don’t usually make because we were a little too high.

“After we settled down, we gave it a good effort, but we just didn’t quite get there,” she added. “Currituck’s an outstanding team and you just can’t spot them five runs.”

The third inning was the one that cost Bertie as the Lady Falcons committed three errors to aid Currituck.

Ashley Craft started the inning when she reached via an error. She took second on an infield single by Manoi Jones and went to third when Carol Buckan got aboard on an error.

Craft scored on a wild pitch that sent Jones to third and Buckan to second. Erin Buckan drew a walk to reload the bases. One run scored on an error and two more on a single to right as Currituck took a five-run lead.

The Lady Falcons began to make contact in the third inning when senior catcher Carla Cooper recorded the team’s first hit of the day. She went to second on a single off the bat of Jody Mizelle, but both runners were left stranded.

Bertie finally scratched in the fifth inning when Cooper laced a one-out single to center. She went to third on a sacrifice from Chelsea Dunlow and reached third on a single by Mizelle.

Cooper scored on a wild pitch that sent Mizelle to third before Courtney Dunlow drew a walk. The inning ended on a groundout, but the Lady Falcons were within 5-1.

In the sixth stanza, Brittany Hoggard reached on a walk, but was erased on a fielder’s choice with Megan Cowan at the plate. Cowan went to second on a single by Abby Parker before a base hit from Holly Cowand filled the bases with Falcons.

Cowan was the first to race home, scoring on a passed ball that advanced the other runners. Parker then scored on a wild pitch and moments later Cowand did the same, trimming the deficit to 5-4.

In the seventh, Bertie was able to get the tying run in scoring position when Christie Brown delivered a two-out single and stole second, but she was left stranded.

“We didn’t quit,” Copeland said of her team. “We dug ourselves a hole, but we did not quit. I was so proud of the way we responded with out backs against the wall.

“This is a special group,” she said. “They played hard no matter what situation we’re in.”

The Lady Falcons dropped their first game of the season. They fell to 8-1 and 3-1 in the Northeastern Coastal Conference. BHS will host Edenton today (Tuesday) at 4 p.m. in another league contest.