Hayesville – As the tying run with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Hiwassee Dam senior Payton Palmer lifted a fly ball deep to center field like her previous two at-bats.
This one was a little deeper, but still not deep enough. Lady Jackets center-fielder Lila Roberts caught the ball at the top of her glove to seal a 5-2 win for Hayesville and hand the Lady Eagles their first loss of the 2022 season Friday.
“We did hit some balls that were hard hit, well hit, well struck – just right at them,” Hiwassee Dam head coach Roger Adams said. “... We couldn’t put enough consistent hits together to win the game.”
Adams thought his team didn’t have the same energy it had in the previous game, though the Lady Eagles (10-1 overall, 7-1 Smoky Mountain Conference) were still able to strike for one in the top of the first inning when a groundout from Olivia McNabb scored Kiera Taylor. Lila Payne answered back with a single in the first inning to tie the game, then the Yellow Jackets (4-5, 2-5) struck for four in the second inning, all with two outs.
Roberts’ RBI double scored Brianna Curtis, then Faith Odell walked to load the bases and Payne brought everyone home with a bases-clearing double. That was all the Yellow Jackets needed.
“They outhit us for one inning, and it cost us the game,” Adams said. “That’s softball. It’s good days and bad days.”
McNabb replaced Lauren Brooks on the mound in the third inning, and Hayesville struggled to deal with McNabb’s velocity and didn’t get another hit. Unfortunately for McNabb, Hiwassee Dam just couldn’t get enough hits. There was a lot of loud contact, just right at fielders.
An RBI single from Taylor cut the lead to 5-2 to in the top of the sixth, and Lauren Brooks and Taylor walked to make Palmer the tying run in the seventh before she flew out to end the game.
It was a full 180 from the two team’s previous matchup Tuesday, when Hiwassee Dam won 11-0. The Lady Eagles pounced on Hayesville with eight runs in the first inning, and Taylor hit her first home run of the season in the win.
Hiwassee Dam hosted Murphy on Tuesday, which took place after this week’s edition of the Cherokee Scout went to press. The two teams will meet Friday at Konehete Park in Murphy.
“I told them that this game is over, it’s done,” Adams said. “It doesn’t change anything for our approach for the rest of the season. We go next week, we play Murphy and we attack them as best as we can attack them.”