The Saranac Lake softball gave up six runs in the first inning to the AuSable Valley Patriots, but the girls managed to turn things around and scored 10 runs over the course of the fourth and fifth innings to just trail by a score of 12-11. Their chance at a comeback was then cut short when the umpires called off the game due to the weather after the fifth inning. The 12-11 loss was Saranac Lake’s final regular-season game.

“To have to end the game like that, it’s not fair to them,” Red Storm head coach Gabby Lewis said. “My girls fought and they came through at the end to score. We should’ve played the last two innings because we could’ve had this game.”

Tailor Whitson and Mia Nichols led Saranac Lake with three hits each. Whitson, a senior, recorded two singles and a triple, while Nichols, a sophomore, had two singles and a double. Emma Akey, Marley Small and Sydney Leeret had two hits each for the Red Storm on Tuesday.

“Almost every single girl had a hit. They were coming through. Doubles, singles, run after, run it was awesome to see,” Lewis said.

Saranac Lake’s Catera Ratelle swings at the ball during Tuesday’s game against AuSable Valley. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

As a team, Saranac Lake tallied 17 total hits, with every batter reaching base at least once.

The weather played a big factor early and AuSable Valley was able to capitalize on it. The Patriots scored six times in the top of the first inning, without recording a hit — seven batters reached base by way of a walk.

“That first inning, we didn’t have that quick dry for the mound,” Lewis said. “So that pitcher was sliding all over the place. As soon we got that, I think they scored four runs the rest of the game. The conditions were not great in the beginning, but we got them under control.”

Saranac Lake’s Karlie Goetz, a senior, pitched in all five innings and recorded six strikeouts — all of which came after the first inning. The Patriots’ Laina Jennings pitched five innings and struck out four Red Storm batters.

Trailing 10-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Saranac Lake bats came alive. Whitson rattled off a triple that scored one run, followed by two RBI doubles from Goetz and Nichols, to bring the game within five.

In the next inning, AuSable Valley stretched the score to 12-5. But the Red Storm quickly responded by scoring four straight runs, before recording an out.

Already with two outs in the inning, Small hit a single to the outfield, which drove in two runs for Saranac Lake. After recording their third out, the game was then called off by the umpires.

“Not being able to finish really hurts,” Lewis said. “The momentum that they had from that last inning — if they carry that into tomorrow, I have a very good feeling. This team has progressed a lot this year and they have the capability of it.”

The Red Storm were slated to take on the Saranac Central Chiefs in the opening round of the Section VII, Class B tournament on Wednesday.