The Kenston Forest School varsity baseball team was hoping for a different start to a busy week.

The Kavaliers took an early lead on Monday against host Fuqua School, fell behind and then tried to rally late before ultimately falling 12-5 to the Falcons.

“We’re a young team, still got a lot of learning to do,” Kenston Forest coach Scott Atkins said. “They tried to turn it on at the end of the game and come back, but it was a little too late. We’ve just got a big week this week, so I guess we did the best we could under the circumstances.”

The Kavaliers took a 2-0 lead to start the game, but the Falcons responded in the bottom of the first with three runs. Fuqua added two more in the third, Kenston Forest made the score 5-3 in the fourth, but then the Falcons added sevens runs across the fifth and sixth innings to make the score 12-3.

“I think us not being able to play defense really hurt us,” Atkins said. “Timely mistakes — I think that was the big thing.”

He noted his team had a couple of defensive opportunities at the plate where if it had gotten the out, it might have changed the game.

The Kavaliers generated five hits, but also five errors.

They began a rally in the top of the seventh but could generate only two runs.

Sophomore Chance Whitehead was a bright spot for the Kavaliers at the catcher position. “He threw out two people,” Atkins said. “And Dillon Dunn, he was our pitcher. He’s actually playing through an injury on his leg, so he toughed it out really well today.”

Dunn, a senior, pitched three innings and threw two strikeouts, and he also went 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk.

In the latest Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association baseball poll, Kenston Forest is ranked eighth in Division III with its record at 6-7.

Monday’s loss made the Kavaliers drop to 7-8 overall, but they will have ample opportunity to improve on that in the latter half of this week.

They visit Brunswick Academy on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. and Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot Catholic School on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. On Friday, Kenston Forest hosts the Central Virginia Homeschool Disciples at 6 p.m.

“We’ve got a tough week,” Atkins said.