Enterprise softball took to the road to face Clarkdale on Tuesday, but the Enterprise Bulldogs fell short of a comeback in the seventh inning.

The Clarkdale Bulldogs (12-7) responded to a four-run fifth inning by Enterprise by taking a one-run lead in the bottom of the fifth inning before extending their lead by one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Enterprise failed to score any runs in the seventh inning, and Clarkdale walked off the field with a 6-4 victory.

“We played amazing,” Clarkdale coach Grant Hill said. “They came back and tied the ballgame 4-4. We were resilient, and were able to get momentum back in our dugout in that situation, where last year, I don’t know if we do that. This team has grown up a lot, they’re very mature this year, and they’re going to fight the entire game.”

Enterprise forced Clarkdale to fight in what was a close game throughout. Enterprise pitcher Abby Godwin held Clarkdale scoreless through the first three innings, and Clarkdale pitcher Ava Mosley held Enterprise scoreless through the first four.

Godwin finished the night with five strikeouts in six innings, and she also gave up six hits and three walks. Mosley allowed nine hits and four walks, but she struck out 11 pitchers in seven innings. Clarkdale’s Mallory Meadows said Mosley really hit her spots on Tuesday.

“Ava always gets up there and competes and gives us a chance to win the ballgame,” Hill said. “When we get in a bind, she’s able to really get the strikeout when we need it to kind of minimize the inning, or actually get us out of the inning with no runs.”

Godwin faced some adversity in the bottom of the fourth inning when she gave up four runs, three of which came on a triple by Kaela Edmonds. Enterprise responded at the top of the next inning by tying the game at 4-4, but Meadows batted in a runner in the fifth inning and Freeman batted one in in the sixth to give Clarkdale a 6-4 lead.

Mosley allowed a single by Marlee Brannan in the seventh inning, but she secured the win for Clarkdale with two strikeouts and a groundout. Hill said his team could have played small ball a bit better to get more runners in scoring position, but overall his Bulldogs zeroed in on “their” pitch at the plate, and it paid off.

“I couldn’t ask anything more of those kids,” Hill said. “They did everything they could to get momentum back in this dugout as far as grinding out at-bats, getting big two-out knocks to take the lead back.”