Murphy – The Lady Bulldogs’ varsity softball team got their season started with a two-game week.
The Lady Dogs started their season at home against Smoky Mountain, then traveled to Franklin to play the Lady Panthers.
Home opener win
The Lady Dogs got their season started on the right foot with a 8-1 win over Smoky Mountain on March 2. After a scoreless first inning, scoring got started in the second.
The Lady Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, but that lead didn’t last long. The Lady Dogs drove in five runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead.
Murphy added two more runs in the third inning, then one more in the fourth. It was scoreless in the fifth frame, before the Lady Dogs closed the game out in the top of the sixth.
Jenna Cook and Aa’Liyah Grant scored two runs each. Gracie Hall, Grace Moore, Emma Hensley and Emma Laney scored one run each.
Moore and Laney had two RBI each. Hensley had two stolen bases, while Hall had one.
Paisley Johnson was back to business in the pitching circle. She threw a complete game, giving up one run on three hits. She struck out 14 of the 25 batters she faced.
Fall to Franklin
In the Lady Dogs’ first road game of the season, Murphy fell to Franklin 7-6 in a close game on March 4.
Franklin struck first with two runs in the second inning and one in the third to lead 3-0. The Dogs then got on the board with one run in the fourth inning.
Franklin then added three more runs in the fifth inning to lead 6-1 through five innings. The Dogs scored one run in the sixth inning to make it 6-2.
In the top of the seventh, with the game on the line, the Dogs drove home four runs to tie the game at 6. In the bottom of the inning, Franklin scored one run to end the game and hand the Dogs their first loss of the year.
For the Dogs, Piper Dalton had two hits, two RBI and a home run. Johnson pitched six innings with five strikeouts.
Up next
The Dogs will return to the diamond on the road at 4:30 p.m. Friday against Swain County. They will then face in-county rivals Hiwassee Dam on the road at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.