Hiwassee Dam – The Hiwassee Dam softball team got in its own way Thursday against Copper Basin, Tenn.
The Lady Cougars took advantage of nearly every mistake the Lady Eagles made, while Hiwassee Dam couldn’t do enough at the plate to make amends.
The result was a 12-8 loss for the Lady Eagles, a stark difference from the 16-4 mercy-rule win over the Lady Cougars just seven days earlier. While both teams made mistakes, Hiwassee Dam’s (3-3 overall) errors in earlier innings allowed Copper Basin (4-2), a cushion they would never relinquish before both teams’ bats warmed up.
The issues started early. Copper Basin took the lead in the top of the first when Caitlin Pack scored on a single to left by Alexis Hyatt. Hyatt would later steal second and, after Destiny Pittman grounded out to first, Hyatt went to third, then scored when the throw from first was dropped and went past the bag.
A double to left by Angela Graves extended the Lady Cougars’ lead to 3-0. The Lady Eagles would get one back in the bottom of the first when a groundout by Brinkley Payne scored Kiera Taylor.
An RBI groundout by Peyton McNabb in the bottom of the third inning trimmed the Lady Cougars’ lead to 3-2, only for Graves to reach on an error in the top of the fourth inning and later score to put the lead back at two runs. Hiwassee Dam had a chance for a big inning with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fourth, but came up empty.
Through the first five innings, the Lady Eagles were making better contact than Copper Basin, but the Lady Cougars’ defenders continued to make plays when they needed to. The lead grew to 6-2 in the top of the fifth after an RBI double by Samantha Ware, who would score later in the inning on a wild pitch.
Hiwassee Dam would get three runs back in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI single by Brinkley Payne and two runs that scored when Olivia Williams reached on an error. But the Lady Eagles couldn’t keep Copper Basin at bay, and the Lady Cougars answered back with four runs in the top of the sixth.
Copper Basin started to make better contact in that inning, getting key base hits from Hyatt and Pittman that scored runs. Hiwassee Dam didn’t help itself either, with Graves leading off the inning by reaching on error, and the two other runs scoring on a fielder’s choice that was a late throw home and a wild pitch.
A two-run triple by Payne in the bottom of the inning cut the lead to 10-7, then she came around to score on a wild pitch. The Lady Eagles couldn’t carry that surge into the
seventh. Riley Hall crushed a home run over the left-field fence to lead off the inning for Copper Basin, and the Lady Cougars added another insurance run when Graves scored on a throwing error.
The mistakes were too much, giving Hiwassee Dam a second straight frustrating loss. Three days earlier in a 7-2 home defeat to Franklin (5-3), the Lady Eagles made good contact, like they did against Copper Basin, but couldn’t find a gap.
Hiwassee Dam had a chance to bounce back late Monday with a home game against Andrews, then will travel to the eastern end of the county to face the Lady Wildcats again Friday.