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Polk County softball dropped a non-conference contest to border rival Landrum on Friday, falling 10-8 despite a seventh-inning rally and strong performances from several Wolverine batters.

The Cardinals (6-8) jumped out to an early lead with four runs in the first inning and added three more in the second to establish a 7-1 advantage. Polk County (10-8) struggled to contain Landrum’s offense through the first three frames before stabilizing defensively in the middle innings.

Sarah Vitale led the Wolverines offensively, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and two doubles. Her two-run double in the fifth inning sparked a four-run rally that brought Polk County back into contention, and her seventh-inning two-bagger drove in two more runs as the Wolverines mounted a final comeback attempt.

Mia Bradley also delivered at the plate, finishing 3-for-4, including a triple in the fifth inning that helped ignite the Wolverines’ offensive surge. Junie Mitchell contributed a 2-for-3 performance with two runs scored.

After Polk County took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on Mitchell’s single that drove in Bradley, Landrum responded with eight runs across the next two innings. The Wolverines’ defense tightened afterward, holding the Cardinals scoreless for three consecutive innings before Landrum added two insurance runs in the sixth.

The Wolverines’ fifth-inning rally began with Bradley’s triple followed by Laney Littlefield’s RBI single. After Mitchell walked, Vitale delivered her first two-run double of the game before eventually scoring on Elizabeth Vitale’s groundout.

Trailing 10-5 entering their final at-bat, Polk County again threatened when Littlefield walked and Mitchell doubled to set up Sarah Vitale’s second two-run double. Vitale later scored on Miya Jackson’s groundout to cut the deficit to two, but the Wolverines couldn’t complete the comeback.