Murphy – Hiwassee Dam baseball has been more competitive the last three weeks of the season, though it hasn’t meant different results.
That trend continued in the regular-season finale, as the Eagles lost to Murphy 3-1.
“They tried, they were aggressive. I’m proud of them,” head coach Jerry Kilpatrick said. “Murphy is an excellent team, and they played a whole lot better than they have all year. The last few games have been what they could do, even be better than that.”
Hiwassee Dam finishes the 2021 regular season with a 2-12 record, even though they felt like it wasn’t truly reflective of their play this season. The Eagles weren’t run ruled this year, lost four games by one run and another by two runs.
Three of those close losses came in the last three weeks, a time when the Eagles crushed Cherokee and were tied with Swain County in the first game of a doubleheader before giving up five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and losing.
There was another opportunity Friday at Murphy (12-2 overall and in the Smoky Mountain Conference). The game was scoreless through four innings, with Hiwassee Dam pitcher Seth Hooper and Bulldogs pitcher Hunter Curtis scattering baserunners but limiting the damage.
Murphy broke through in the fifth, scoring on a groundout by Payton McCracken and an infield single by Dawson Hensley.
The Bulldogs scored again in the sixth when Will Carringer hit a line drive to shortstop with runners on first and third. Braden Rumfelt was on first and running on the pitch, so shortstop Clay Davis threw back to first but was unable to get Rumfelt. Caleb Allen was on third and scored when Davis threw back to first.
In the top of the seventh, Curtis was replaced by Dawson Hensley, who struggled against Hayesville in the seventh inning earlier in the week. He didn’t get off to a good start in this game either, loading the bases with no outs.
After striking out Hooper, Hensley walked Simms with the bases loaded and Hiwassee Dam cut the lead to 3-1. Unlike against the Yellow Jackets, Hensley settled down, striking out Davis and Kyle Taylor to end the game.
“We left seven, eight people on base,” Kilpatrick said. All we needed was just one hit at the right time. That’s all it would’ve took.
The Eagles will lose five seniors, three who were major contributors in Connor Davis, Michael Simms and Colt Meyers.
With such a young group this year, Hiwassee Dam is hoping the younger players understand what it takes to be competitive in the Smoky Mountain Conference, instead of figuring it out halfway into the season like they did this year.
“I know they’re going to come back next year and do the best they can,” Simms said. “I know they can improve, too.”