Murphy – The Lady Bulldogs hadn’t lost a conference game until the Swain game last week, but the losing streak continued as they dropped two to the SMC Conference leader Robbinsville this week.
The first game was at Murphy, where the Lady Dogs fell 11-2. Next was a 12-6 loss at Robbinsville, the last regular season games for both teams.
Murphy (12-2) pitcher Paisley Johnson struck out 17 Lady Black Knights (20-2) batters, only issuing one walk, but she gave up 11 runs on 13 hits in the first loss May 1.
It took a little while for the Black Knights’ batters to figure Johnson out, as she struck out the side in the first and second innings. However, Murphy batters weren’t having any luck against Black Knights pitcher Memory Frapp, who faced the minimum number of batters in the first three innings. She kept a no-hitter going until the bottom of the fifth inning.
Robbinsville also got their first base hit to lead off the second inning, but Johnson squashed that scoring opportunity when she retired the rest of the side in order. She wasn’t that fortunate in the top of the third inning.
The first Robbinsville batter reached on an error, while the second one was hit by a pitch. The next batter singled to drive in their first run. One out later, a double by Robbinsville’s Sophie Roberts drove in the other two runs to give Robbinsville a 3-0 lead.
Julia Dockery became the first Murphy baserunner for the Lady Bulldogs as she walked to leadoff Murphy’s bottom half of the inning. She advance to third on a two-out fielder’s choice, but could move no further.
Johnson struck out the side in the top of the fourth inning, but wasn’t so lucky in the fifth, when Zoie Shuler led off with a home run to give the Lady Knights a 4-0 lead. Robbinsville later added another run to extend that lead to 5-0.
Aiden Smith led things off for the Lady Dogs in the sixth inning as she registered the first Murphy hit of the game. Dockery followed that up with a single to score Smith. Dockery then took second base on a passed ball, reached third on a sacrifice fly and scored on an ensuing throwing error by the Lady Knights, making it 4-2.
Robbinsville would explode for five runs in the sixth inning to extend its lead to 10-2. The Lady Knights would add another in the seventh to net the final 11-2.
Murphy only had one hit in the game. Frapp struck out 10, walked one and gave up two runs on one hit.
The Lady Bulldogs didn’t wait until the fifth inning to get a hit in game two at Robbinsville on Thursday. Dockery walked to lead off the first inning, and Johnson delivered with a two-out single to score Dockery to give Murphy a 1-0 lead after the first inning.
The lead was short lived as Shuler led off with a single in the bottom half of the inning for the Black Knights. Shuler, who went 4-4 at the plate, later scored on a two-out single by Frapp to tie the game at one run apiece.
After Murphy stranded three base runners in the second, Robbinsville would score four runs on four hits to take a 5-1 lead. Both teams didn’t have any fireworks in the third inning. Murphy would make a run at a rally in the top of the fourth inning, when Taryn Morrow got on base with one out and Callie Rumfelt singled to give the Lady Dogs two aboard.
Dockery walked to load the bases, and Emma Hensley doubled to score Morrow and Rumfelt. Emma Laney walked to load the bases, but again Murphy stranded three base runners and could only cut Robbinsville’s lead to 5-3. The Lady Knights added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend their lead to 7-3.
Murphy fought back in the fifth, but Robbinsville answered the call with four more runs in the bottom of the inning to make it 11-5.
The loss gave the Lady Dogs a second-place finish in the Smoky Mountain Conference. The state 1A softball playoffs begin this week.