Scoring three seventh-inning runs, Greenwich’s softball team’s rally fell short against Warde, which registered a 10-5 win in an FCIAC game on Tuesday.

The season has been an uphill climb for the Cardinals, who have a lot of underclassmen on their roster. Yet coach Mary Beth Fratello has seen stead improvement in her squad, which has one win so far this season, and has lost several close games of late.

“The last couple of weeks we’ve been in every game,” Fratello said. “It’s been like a two-run game, a three-run game. Today, I give them a lot of credit, we were down 8-0, this could have been a run-rule game. But they fought back and we got some hits. It was a little bit too late, but they battled and didn’t give up.”

With the win, Warde improved its record to 11-5. The Mustangs scored five runs in the first inning, added three more in the third inning and one scored one apiece in the fifth and seventh innings. The Cardinals a run in the fourth and sixth innings and three in the seventh.

Senior captains Olivia McClammy and Chloe Smith each had two hits for Greenwich.

“Compared to the first game, we’ve been so much better, a lot more close games and I’m really proud of the whole team,” McClammy said. “They have been practicing and showing up to practice with a great attitude and we have been improving every single game.”

The Mustangs took a 5-0 first-inning lead. Senior Julia Minichini hit a two-run single and freshman Alyssa Russo drove in a pair of runs with a base hit off GHS senior right-hander Kayla Darling. In the third inning, senior Avery Yardis doubled and scored on a double by Russo. Avery Gabrenas, also a senior had a run-scoring single in the third inning for the victors.

Minichini added an RBI single in the fifth inning and freshman Gabby Mercado homered over the left center field fence in the seventh inning for the Mustangs, who were led on the mound by senior Margaux Forget.

Greenwich scored a run in the fourth inning on a double by freshman Mia Gangi and a single by sophomore Kate D’Andrea. In the fifth inning, McClammy singled, senior Chloe Smith walked and Gangi hit a run-scoring single.

Darling singled in the seventh inning, McClammy drew a walk, Friedman and Gangi each reached on errors and Smith drove in a run with a single during Greenwich’s three-run seventh inning.

“We started off as a young team, we knew that was going to be one of the obstacles we were going to face,” Smith said. “But we have worked together as a team and worked hard to improve.”

Said Darling, a senior captain: “There has been a lot more communication and the intensity has gotten a lot better. We have been in these games and it’s gotten a lot better. As a pitcher, it’s nice to have a team behind you and you can see anyone getting better. We’ve come a long way and hopefully, we can make something happen our next game.”

Greenwich will most likely visit Fairfield Ludlowe in the playdown round of the FCIAC Tournament on Friday.

“We are going to go into the Ludlowe game with the same energy we had today,” McClammy said.