Porter’s Chapel Academy’s senior softball players made some happy memories in their final home game, but a victory was not one of them.

PCA rallied from a five-run deficit to tie the game, but Clinton Christian scored four times in the top of the sixth inning to steal back a 9-7 victory Monday at Key City Park.

“I was very proud of us. I think our energy was really good and we stayed with it throughout the whole game. We never gave up. Our defense and offense was really good. It just wasn’t our night to win,” said PCA shortstop Marley Bufkin, who was 2-for-3 with one RBI and three runs scored.

Bufkin was one of four PCA players honored on senior night, along with Sophie Masterson, Kinsley Luke and Natalie Cantin. They combined for six hits, five RBIs and five runs scored.

Masterson and Luke both tripled, and Luke drove in three runs. Cantin hit an RBI double and scored twice.

Bufkin had the biggest highlight, with an inside-the-park home run in the third inning that started PCA’s initial comeback from a 5-0 deficit.

Bufkin hit a fly ball deep down the right field line that landed just inside the foul line and kicked into the corner. She circled the bases and scored standing up for the Lady Eagles’ first run of the game.

“I was praying it was going in. I hit that ball and it was like, ‘Please, please, please,’” Bufkin said with a laugh. “I thought it was foul, but I kept running and they never stopped me. It was a good night to do it on.”

Cantin doubled in a run and scored in the fourth inning. Bufkin walked and scored in the fifth, before Cantin reached on an error and scored on Luke’s triple to tie the score at 5-5.

In the sixth, however, Lauryn Sarpong-Evans led off with a walk and scored on a dropped third strike to put Clinton Christian back in front. The Warriors added runs on an RBI double by Typhanie Teague and a two-run inside-the-park home run by Laura Williams to go up 9-5.

PCA rallied again in the bottom of the seventh, with an RBI single by Lauren Rae Davis and an RBI ground out by Luke that cut it to 9-7 with the tying run at home plate.

Clinton Christian got a ground out to escape the jam and preserve the win, however.

“We started off too slow that first inning, is what got us,” Bufkin said. “We came back at the end. It just wasn’t enough.”

Cathedral 10, St. Aloysius 0
Lily Crum had 10 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout, and Liza Gregg hit a two-run home run to lead Cathedral (16-3, 3-2 MAIS District 4-5A) past St. Aloysius (8-11, 1-4) on Monday.

KG Fisher was 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBIs for Cathedral. Madelyn Fielder was 2-for-3 with a double, triple and two runs scored.

Madelyn Kavanaugh doubled in the fifth inning for St. Al’s only hit, and also walked in the second.

St. Al will host Riverfield Academy Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. at the Betty Foley Hearn Softball Complex.

Tallulah Academy 20, Riverdale 3
Elle Moberley hit an inside-the-park grand slam to drive in the final runs of Tallulah Academy’s rout of Riverdale on Monday.

Moberley also walked twice and finished with five RBIs and four runs scored. Tallulah Academy (9-8-1) only had six hits, but used 13 walks to do most of its damage in the four-inning run-rule victory. Eight batters were hit by a pitch.

Hallie Grace Malone doubled, walked three times and had three RBIs for the Lady Trojans. She also pitched four innings and only allowed one hit.

Emily Fortenberry and Rachel Florice scored two runs apiece, while Halley Hopkins went 2-for-3 with one RBI and three runs scored.