Hiwassee Dam – The Eagles’ baseball team took on Hayesville last week, losing both games while dealing with injury and illness.
After the March 26 game was rained out, they played the first game of the team’s two meetings on March 27, which Hiwassee Dam lost 22-0. They were held to only three total hits from Noah Shields, Trenten Beavers and Kyle Taylor, plus made seven fielding errors.
Starting on the mound for the Eagles was Dawson Headley, who pitched 3.1 innings. After that, Isaiah Crisp and Abel Penland took over. Carson Taylor pitched the final two outs.
“Overall, they played well. We have a couple of injuries and some people who have been sick, and it takes a toll on them,” Eagles head coach Tommy Strickland said.
Headley stood out for his pitching.
“Dawson Headley did a great job on the mound,” Strickland said. “We play live or die as a team, and at the end of the day we just didn’t pull through.”
Strickland’s message to the team after the game was, “We’ve got to pick our heads up and go on. It’s not the last game.”
The next day, they met again. This time, the game was closer, with Hayesville squeaking out a 5-4 win.
The Yellow Jackets took an early 4-0 lead through two innings. The Eagles got on the board in the top of the fifth with two runs in an attempt to close the gap.
In the bottom of the sixth, Hayesville scored a run to take a 5-2 lead. In the top of the seventh, the Eagles scored two runs, but it was not enough.
The Eagles were led by Kyle Taylor, who scored two of their four runs and also had two stolen bases. Clay Davis pitched a complete game, giving up two hits and only one being an earned run. He struck out five and only had two walks.
On Monday, Hiwassee Dam played Towns County, losing 14-2. As a result, the Eagles are 1-5 overall, with a 1-3 Smoky Mountain Conference record. As of press time, they were in fifth place in the 1A conference.
This week, the Eagles take on their cross-county rival Bulldogs. The game is Friday at Murphy, with first pitch at 4:30 p.m.