BENTON — The Polk County Lady Wildcats are down to their last life in the District 5-AA Tournament after falling to McMinn Central on Monday.

Jordan Triplett gave a good starting effort, going seven strong and only allowing two earned on four hits, but an error to start the game ended up being the team’s undoing as a pair of unearned runs crossed the plate to give Central its 4-2 win.

The Lady Chargers led off the game by reaching safely on the costly Polk error. Back-to-back singles plated the first run, another scored on a fielder’s choice and a third came on a two-out RBI double to put McMinn out 3-0 early.

Polk got on the board in the bottom of the second when Lily Cuzzort led off with a single and was knocked home when Briana Muller let loose an RBI double, but the rally was stopped short there.

McMinn added its fourth run in the top of the fifth when a lead-off double eventually crossed the plate on the back end of a double steal.

The Lady Wildcats tried to muster one last attempt at the win in the home half of the fifth when Kaitlyn Williams kicked things off with a two-out base on balls. Danielle Harvey drove Williams in with a towering RBI triple, but that’s all the girls from Benton could come away with, ending the game with a 4-2 Lady Charger win.

Polk will look to keep its softball hopes alive today at home as it welcomes in Sweetwater for a tournament elimination game.

Sweetwater’s Lady Wildcats are coming off a 5-0 loss to Meigs County.