The Moon softball team had a shot to lock up a playoff spot on the road Tuesday, but instead the Tigers suffered a setback that will force them to battle until the final day of the season.

The Tigers had just five hits off Ambridge pitcher Amber Borkowski, and the Bridgers scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull away, winning 5-2 and keeping the Section 1-AAA playoff chase competitive.

"In our section, anybody can beat anybody on any given day, and we need to come out ready for that," Moon coach Amy Aloi said.

The loss drops Moon into a tie for second place in the section with New Castle at 7-5, while Ambridge improved to 6-7 to stay in the playoff hunt.

The Tigers face unbeaten Ellwood City, one-win Hopewell and New Castle in their last three section games, while Ambridge meets Hopewell and Blackhawk, the bottom two teams in the section. Moon needs two wins to assure itself of a playoff spot, but could also qualify with one win and an Ambridge loss, among other possibilities.

None of those situations would have been an issue if Moon had handled the Bridgers, but the home team battled hard to extend its season.

The Tigers put runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings, but were unable to bring home a run. That allowed Ambridge to get on the board first with a run in the bottom of the third, a line-drive RBI single by Stephanie Beck that ricocheted off Moon first baseman Sam Schipani before she could react.

Moon tied the score in the fourth, after pitcher Alicia Aughton drew a leadoff walk. Jasmine Blackwell drove in the run with a triple, her second hit of the game, but she was unable to score from third.

Ambridge regained the lead on an RBI triple by Rachel Blonski in the fourth, but Moon tied the score again in the top of the sixth.

Amanda Ardinger reached second with a leadoff double that fell just short of the fence in right field, but she scored when Aughton and Brenna Longo both grounded out to second base. Ardinger advance to third, then home, making the score 2-2.

Moon's entire offense came from hitters four throught eight in its batting order, as the top of the lineup was unusually quiet on Tuesday.

"That's been our problem. I tell the girls, it's like we have three different teams," Aloi said.

"It's always different. Sometimes we have an offensive team, sometimes we have a defensive team. Sometimes the top of the order will hit the ball and the bottom of the order is struggling. Once we get it all together, we'll be good."

The defensive team had been present for most of the game behind Aughton, including a diving catch by Ardinger and a lunging pickup and throw by third baseman Staci Varadi to frustrate the Bridgers' offense at key moments.

But in the sixth, Ambridge's rally began when a ground ball got past Longo at second base. A single by Borkowski followed, bringing up Blonski with two outs.

The Ambridge junior picked up what became the game-winning single with a drive up the middle, and the home team added two more runs before Aughton fielded a ground ball herself for the final out.

"Errors happen. You can't expect people to go in and play a perfect game," Aloi said.

"We just need to keep our heads up after we make a mistake, because it seems like we make more and more after that. And it could be that we are a young team, but we have so much potential, we have to put it to use."

Lea Kronz singled in the seventh for Moon, but no comeback was in the works, as the first three hitters in the Moon order finished the day 2-for-11 with three strikeouts.

Moon hosts Ellwood City today at 3:30 p.m. The Wolverines won the previous meetings, 7-2 at Moon and 6-0 at Ellwood City.