AHOSKIE – The Lady Rams came up just short here Tuesday.

Ridgecroft’s softball team stepped out of Tarheel Independent Conference play to meet Oakwood School and battled, but came up on the short end of a 3-1 final score.

Mary Kate Morris struck out 14 for the Rams, but it wasn’t enough.

The lone run for the Rams came in the bottom of the sixth stanza when Nikki Smith got aboard via an error. Pinch runner Laurel Boone then moved to second on a passed ball and took third on a grounder by Erin Cooke.

Boone then scored when Sara Hackney got aboard via an error.

“Both teams got strong pitching performances,” Ridgecroft skipper Nichole Hughes said. “We came up short putting the ball in play. We played good, but not great.”

The Rams dropped to 5-2 overall with the loss.