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Polk County mounted a valiant comeback effort Thursday but couldn’t overcome an early deficit, falling 10-8 to East Henderson in non-conference baseball action on a windy Thursday in Flat Rock.

After trailing 9-2 following a six-run fourth inning by the Eagles (1-8), the Wolverines (5-5) battled back with four runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh, but couldn’t complete the rally.

Gunnar Alm led the Wolverines’ offense, going 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. Avrey Hensley also contributed a 2-for-4 performance with two RBI, while Karson Scruggs drove in a team-high four runs and had one hit. Noah Harden and Mark Jarrett each finished 1-for-3 with an RBI while Nate Fagan (1-for-4) and Cooper Meyer (1-for-2, 2 runs) rounded out Polk County’s nine-hit attack.

Alex Perry took the loss on the mound for Polk County, working 3.2 innings before giving way to Nate Fagan, who provided solid relief. Fagan pitched the final 2.1 innings, allowing two hits and an unearned run while striking out three Eagles.

The Wolverines got on the board in the third inning when Alm singled to open the frame, stole second, advanced to third on a Noah Harden groundout and scored on a Scruggs single. Polk added another run in the fourth when Fagan singled and eventually scored on a Scruggs hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded.

East Henderson seized control in the bottom of the fourth, capitalizing on two walks, three singles, a hit batter and a double to push across six runs and build a commanding 9-2 lead.

Polk County began its comeback in the sixth inning, still trailing 9-2. Meyer started the rally with a walk, followed by Alm reaching on an Eagle error. After Harden drew a walk to load the bases, Scruggs hit into a fielder’s choice that allowed Meyer to score.

Perry was then hit by a pitch to reload the bases, setting up Hensley’s single that brought home both Alm and Scruggs. The Wolverines added their fourth run of the inning when an error on Jarrett’s grounder allowed Perry to cross the plate, cutting the deficit to 9-6.

The Wolverines continued their rally in the seventh as Meyer singled and Alm doubled to right field. Meyer scored on Harden’s groundout, and Alm came home on Scruggs’ grounder to pull within two runs at 10-8, but that was as close as they would get.

The Wolverines will look to bounce back on Tuesday when they host Hendersonville at 6:30 p.m. in a Mountain Foothills 7 Conference matchup.