The Plymouth Lady Pilgrims varsity softball team mounted a furious late-game rally Saturday afternoon but ultimately came up just short, falling to LaPorte, 9-7, in a back-and-forth contest at home. LaPorte jumped out to a quick lead, plating four runs in the first two innings. Plymouth struggled to answer early, failing to score until the fifth. But when the bats came alive, they came alive in a big way. Senior slugger Kyndall Marcum delivered a powerful performance, launching a home run and a double while driving in two RBIs to lead the charge. Gracie Patrick continued her strong start to the season with two doubles of her own, helping spark the late-inning momentum. Lilly Runyan added to the offensive attack with a triple, while Liz Derifield came through in the clutch with a two-RBI double that brought the Pilgrims within striking distance in the seventh. Plymouth tallied eight hits on the day but struggled to recover from five defensive errors, which allowed LaPorte to extend innings and add to their lead. The Slicers capitalized with 12 hits of their own and held off Plymouth’s rally with a solid defensive effort in the final frame. “We still need to clean up some errors,” said Head Coach. “We’ve got to get the bats going earlier in the game. LaPorte’s outfield made some great plays on balls hit deep.” With the loss, the Lady Pilgrims fall to 0-2 on the season, still searching for their first win. They’ll look to rebound in their next matchup, a home game against Culver Community scheduled for Monday at 5:00 PM. With momentum building late in this contest, Plymouth will aim to put together a complete seven innings and get back on track.