DEMOREST, Ga. -- A seventh-inning rally fell just short for the No. 3 West seeded Covenant softball team in a season-ending, 4-3, loss to No. 4 East seed Methodist in an elimination game in the USA South Tournament on Friday at the Walker Athletic Complex.

Covenant ends the year with a 20-17 overall record. The Scots finished third in the USA South West Division, marking the highest conference finish in program history.

The Scots out-hit Methodist, 14-7, in the contest but a four-run first inning for the Monarchs stood up. Methodist moves on and plays the loser of Piedmont-Greensboro at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Trailing 4-1 in the seventh inning, the Scots pulled together one last rally. Vanessa Davis led off with an infield single and scored on Rebecca Hazard's RBI double down the right field line to cut the margin to 4-2. With two outs and runners at first and third, Helena Nagy kept the Scots alive with an RBI single to left field that scored pinch-runner Jaycie Lyles to make it 4-3.

It looked as though the Scots might tie it, but Mary Elaine Mitchell's soft fly ball to right-center field was tracked down by Methodist center fielder Madison Sanchez to end the game.

Davis went 4-for-4 to lead the Scots, while Taylor Murdock and Nagy had three hits apiece. Lauren Kay launched her ninth homer of the year, a solo shot in the fifth inning, and went 1-for-2 with two walks, and Cope Whitaker added two hits.

Covenant left 12 runners on base in the game. The Scots loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth and also left two runners in scoring position in the first and fifth innings.

Methodist (22-20) scored all four of its runs in the first inning to grab a 4-0 lead. Lauren Kierpa came on in relief for the Scots to start the second inning and tossed five shutout innings allowing three hits and striking out six. 

Kierpa threw 11 innings in two games in the tournament and surrendered just one earned run with nine strikeouts.

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