Monroe – It was a tough end to the season for Murphy softball. The Lady Bulldogs were the No. 21 seed and traveled 250 miles to Monroe to No. 12 seed Union Academy, but were one-hit in an 11-0 five-inning loss.
The Lady Cardinals finished fifth in the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s 1A West RPI rankings, but were dropped to the No. 12 seed because they finished second in the split 1A/2A Yadkin Valley conference.
Teams that are conference champions, or are the highest finishing team in a split conference as long as they finish above .500, are seeded first before other teams in the bracket. South Stanly won the Yadkin Valley conference and is the No. 1 overall seed in the 1A West.
The Lady Bulldogs (7-8 overall) struggled against Union Academy (17-5) junior pitcher Gracie Hollingsworth, a University of Evansville commit, who gave up just one hit and struck out 14 batters in five innings. The Lady Cardinals struck for one run in the bottom of the second inning, seven in the third and then three in the fourth to put the game into mercy rule territory.
The loss ended an uneven season for Murphy, which was only fully healthy in their first two games this season. Even when healthy, the Lady Bulldogs were just a tier below Robbinsville and Hiwassee Dam in the Smoky Mountain Conference.
Fortunately for first-year head coach Billy Dockery, Murphy will graduate only one senior from its 12-player roster. The Lady Bulldogs are set to return pitcher Jersey Schwalm along with top hitters Julia and Riley Dockery.