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The Huntland High School Lady Hornets lost to the New Hope Lady Indians 6-1 on the road Saturday in a semifinal game for the New Hope Classic.

The Lady Hornets kept the score close for a majority of the game, but the hosting Lady Indians pulled away in the fourth inning and ran out the 75-minute time limit to eliminate Huntland from the bracket.

Huntland head softball coach Michael Tipps said that the overall theme of the tournament was a lack of consistent hitting from his team.

“We came down here this weekend and just couldn’t string enough hits together. We averaged giving up four runs a game and went 2-2,” he said. “We’ve got to get back to hitting the softball. That’s how we’re going to win games.”

The Lady Indians got the first run of the contest with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the second.

The Lady Hornets nearly broke through for their first run in the top of the third when Blair Finchum hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a groundout by Ashtyn Danley and rounded third after a single by Hadley Gardner, but Finchum would be tagged out at the plate to end the frame.

The Lady Hornets were able to score in the next inning, however, as Camerin Davis reached base on a fielder’s choice, moved to third on a single by Hazel Reed and scored on a passed ball to tie the score at 1-1.

However, consecutive solo home runs by the Lady Indians with one out in the bottom half of the fourth quickly put them back in front. The Lady Indians added two more runs later in the frame on a wild pitch and a passed ball to take a 5-1 lead.

The Lady Hornets were held scoreless in the top of the fifth, and the Lady Indians added another run off of an error just before the time limit expired to put the final deficit at five.

DeAnna Burton pitched the first 3 1-3 innings with two strikeouts, six hits, three earned runs and two unearned runs allowed.

Danley pitched the remaining 1 1-3 innings with two strikeouts, one hit and one unearned run allowed.

With the loss, the Lady Hornets moved to 6-3 on the season.

Lady Hornets 6, Ripley 3

The Lady Hornets began play on Saturday with a 6-3 win against the Ripley Lady Tigers at New Hope in a quarterfinal game for the New Hope Classic.

The Lady Hornets rallied from a late deficit with four runs in the fifth inning to advance to the next round of the single-elimination bracket.

The Lady Tigers were the first team to score as they pushed a run across on an RBI groundout in the bottom of the first.

The Lady Hornets flipped the scoreboard in the top of the third as Danley hit a solo home run and Jocy May added an RBI double later in the frame to give Huntland a 2-1 lead.

However, the Lady Hornets’ advantage wouldn’t last long as the Lady Tigers hit a two-run home run in the bottom half of the third to retake the lead at 3-2.

With time running low in the top of the fifth, Hadley Gardner hit an RBI double to tie the score and later came across to score on an RBI groundout by May to give the Lady Hornets a 4-3 lead.

The Lady Hornets expanded their lead later in the frame as Hazel Reed laid down a bunt with Burton and Davis on base, and multiple errors on the play allowed both runners to score and make it a 6-3 game.

The Lady Tigers weren’t able to muster a response in the bottom of the fifth as the Lady Hornets won by three.

Danley pitched a complete game for the Lady Hornets with six strikeouts, one hit, two earned runs and one unearned run allowed.

With the win, the Lady Hornets improved to 6-2 on the season.

They will next play Monday at home against Fayetteville City High School. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.