For the first time since 2021, the Murphy softball team has advanced to the third round of the state 1A playoffs.
With a first-round win over Cornerstone Charter and a second-round win over Bethany Community, the Lady Dogs move on to the third round.
It only took Paisley Johnson 54 pitches and the red hot bats of the Lady Dogs to defeat Cornerstone Charter 12-0 in the first round on May 6. The game barely lasted 4 innings, as the Dogs shut down the Lady Cardinals with deadly pitching and solid hitting.
The Lady Dogs started the game with a three-up, three-down inning to get things rolling. Then the Lady Dogs went to work with the bats.
Johnson doubled to score Julia Dockery for the first run of the game. Then Emma Laney scored on a ground ball to make it 2-0. Emma Hensley then hit a two-RBI double to make it 4-0. Gracie Moore then hit a two-RBI single to make it 6-0.
The top of the second was another three-up, three-down inning as Johnson was cruising on the mound. In the bottom of the second,
Gracie Thrasher hit a two-out, two-run home run to give the Lady Dogs a 8-0 lead.
Cornerstone Charter got their first hit of the game in the third inning, but the Lady Dogs shut them down to prevent a run from being score.
After a scoreless third inning, the Lady Dogs got back to work in the bottom of the fourth inning. To make it 10-0, Hensley hit a two-run home run. To make it 11-0, Thrasher scored on an error. Laney then hit a RBI-single to give the Lady Dogs a 12-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth, the Lady Dogs shut down Cornerstone Charter and earned the win to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
After their first-round victory, Lady Dogs head coach Billy Dockery said, “They played great. I think they were ready to play when they took the field, and it showed. We made adjustments throughout the game when they switched pitchers early and kept tacking runs on.”
To prepare for their second-round matchup with Bethany Community, Dockery said they would get scouting reports on pitching and make necessary adjustments for the game.
Those scouting reports and adjustments paid off for the Lady Dogs, as they defeated their second charter school of the week when they beat Bethany Community 7-3 on Friday.
Murphy hit the road to Summerfield to take on Bethany Community and came home with a 7-3 win against the No. 5-seeded Lady Wolves.
With the win, the advanced to the third round where they took on Uwharrie Charter on Tuesday. The game is after the Cherokee Scout’s press time Tuesday, and the results will be published in the May 21 edition.