Murphy – For the second time this year, seven innings wasn’t enough to decide a winner between Murphy and Hiwassee Dam. Like April 6 at Hiwassee Dam, the Lady Bulldogs needed one more inning to pull out the victory.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Murphy senior Grace Nelson hit a ground ball to second base. Lady Eagles second baseman Payton Palmer fielded the ball and turned toward second base to make the play, but couldn’t get the ball out of her glove. Sanai Wilson came around to score for Murphy, giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 victory. With the win, Murphy clinched a share of the Smoky Mountain Conference championship with Robbinsville.
“We like these games a lot more than the lopsided wins,” Murphy head coach Thomas Nelson said. “This makes you better.”
Both teams came into this game expecting a slugfest. Hiwassee Dam (10-4 overall, 10-4 Smoky Mountain conference) entered this game scoring 11.6 runs per game, while Murphy (12-1 overall, 12-1 conference) entered scoring 12 runs per game. In the first matchup this season, the Lady Bulldogs eked out a 12-11 victory.
This game was a pitcher’s duel. The Lady Eagles started junior Lauren Brooks instead of senior Katie Gibson, and Brooks is more of a finesse pitcher than Gibson.
“She had … a really good bite on the ball,” Hiwassee Dam head coach Roger Adams said. “And was keeping them off balance, getting a lot of things off the handle and keeping them out in front of the ball. I’m so proud of her. She did a phenomenal job.”
Murphy pitcher Jersey Schwalm battled through eight innings, getting out of multiple jams to keep the Lady Bulldogs in the game.
“Jersey Schwalm pitched a wonderful game,” coach Nelson said. “She battled, had runners on third at different times. She made plays in the field, struck people out, she had a game.”
Schwalm worked out of her first jam in the top of the first. After a leadoff double by Dezeray Adams, shortstop Kiera Taylor walked to put runners on first and second. Gibson hit a line drive to second baseman Ruby Boehm, who caught the ball and fired to first to get Taylor and complete the double play.
After two more scoreless innings by Schwalm, Murphy broke open the scoring in the bottom of the third. Grace Nelson led off with a single for the Lady Bulldogs first hit of the game, then moved to second on a Kaiya Pickens’ groundout. Adams opted to intentionally walk Annie Kate Dalton, and Nelson would come around to score when Riley Dockery hit into a fielder’s choice.
Hiwassee Dam tied the game in the top of the fourth. Payton McNabb’s single into right got past the outfield, and she sprinted to third. After Palmer reached on a fielder’s choice, Rylie Hall slapped a ground ball to second. Murphy got the out at second, but failed to get the out at first and the Lady Eagles tied the game.
Both teams had chances to score the go-ahead run before extra innings, and Hiwassee Dam had a runner at third in the fifth and sixth inning and came up short. The Lady Eagles put runners on first and third in the top of the eighth, Schwalm was able to work out of the jam, getting a strike out and ground out at second.
Sinai Wilson singled with one out, and Schwalm did the same in the next at bat. Gibson entered to relieve Brooks, who struck out Maddison Seabolt and walked Reagan Peterson before Grace Nelson was the hero.
“We knew this was going to be a huge game,” Grace Nelson said. “We knew they could hit, they’re a great team, but moving forward this is just going to give us practice for the playoffs.”