Before Saturday night’s game at AT&T Field, Chattanooga Lookouts first baseman Russ Mitchell admitted the “it’s still early” explanation is running out of time.

“I feel like we need to start stringing stuff together right now,” Mitchell said. “We’re playing Huntsville, who’s in our division, so this is big for us to get going.”

Unfortunately for the Lookouts, it was more of the same as the Stars held on for a 5-4 victory before a crowd of 5,211. Chattanooga has lost seven straight games — the last four each by one run — and is already 10 games under .500 at 3-13.

The Lookouts trailed 5-1 entering the ninth inning but pulled within two on Josh Bell’s double to right-center that scored Andrew Lambo and Jamie Hoffman. They loaded the bases and got within one on James Tomlin’s two-out infield blooper, but Justin Sellers ended the game on a fielder’s choice.

Huntsville improved to 9-7, with eight of its victories by one run.

Adam Stern’s two-out single to right in the fifth inning gave the Stars their first lead at 2-1, and they built a cushion with a three-run sixth. Shane Justis opened that inning with a double to left and Kevin Melillo followed with a walk, and Jonathan Lucroy brought them home with a double down the left-field line.

The Lookouts held a pregame team meeting in which minimizing disaster was discussed.

“If you look at all these games, it was one inning that killed us,” pitching coach Glenn Dishman said. “The first two nights in Mississippi, we had 1-1 games in the seventh or eighth inning. We allowed a six-run inning in the third game, so I think it’s a matter of staying away from the big inning.

“We need to do a better job of preventing the fireworks from happening.”

Chattanooga’s first run Saturday came in the fourth inning, when Lambo drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Hoffman’s double down the left-field line.

“We’re in every game, and nothing is falling for us,” Mitchell said. “It seems like the other teams are getting the bloops, and we’re hitting balls right at people. That’s baseball, but I think things will start to fall our way.”

Tim Corcoran (0-0, 2.25 ERA) is scheduled to start today’s 2:15 game for the Lookouts, with Chris Cody (1-0, 1.20) scheduled for the Stars.