Hiwassee Dam – Until the bottom of the fifth inning, No. 14 seed Hiwassee Dam’s first round state playoff game against No. 19 seed Rosman had been a back-and-forth contest.
The Lady Tigers scored one in the top of the first, then the Lady Eagles answered back with two in the bottom of the inning and led 5-2 before Rosman scored three in the top of the fifth to tie the game.
But Hiwassee Dam had an answer. A big one. The Lady Eagles responded by scoring 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to force a 15-5 mercy rule win. Hiwassee Dam will travel to No. 3 seed Robbinsville on Thursday for the second round.
“It’s something that they’ve been capable to do all year long,” Adams said. “When those bats get hot, they can be a terror to any team.”
Adams expected a competitive game from the former Smoky Mountain Conference foe, who moved over to the split 1A/2A Western Highlands conference this year, where they finished fifth. That was true until the Lady Eagles 10-run fifth, which made the final score look like many of the games they’ve played this season.
Hiwassee Dam (13-3 overall) has now scored at least 10 runs in 16 games this season, and scored nine runs two more. Allison Stiles led the way with a 4-4 day at the plate while driving in three runs, and five other players had two hits. Freshman Olivia McNabb went 4⅓ innings in the circle before Lauren Brooks entered in relief to get the final two outs in the top of the fifth after Rosman (13-8) tied the game.
After falling to Robbinsville 7-3 on May 2 at home and 7-1 in Graham County on May 5, the Lady Eagles will get another shot at the Smoky Mountain Conference champions in the second round. Adams thought his team was too tense in the previous matchups, and wants them to stay relaxed and excited to play like they were against Rosman.
“Before that last game,” Adams said. “I told them no matter what happens from here on out, for these seniors and this group right here, let’s just have fun.
“Let’s just enjoy it and enjoy the moment you guys are in right now, some of these could be the last moments on the ball field for you, so let’s enjoy it.”