Murphy has dominated the Smoky Mountain Conference so far this season, with Hiwassee Dam not far behind. As the season heads down the final stretch, the Lady Bulldogs will look to maintain their momentum.
Andrews has started the season with a 0-7 conference record and 0-8 overall record. They were on the losing end of series with Hiwassee Dam and Robbinsville, plus Hayesville and non-conference opponent Copper Basin, Tenn., and will finish their series after spring break.
When the Lady Wildcats return, they will take on Tellico Plains, Tenn., on Thursday before playing their second game against Swain County on Friday. After that, they have two non-conference games versus Copper Basin and the Asheville Trailblazers. They end the season with a home-and-home series against Cherokee on April 30 and May 2.
Hiwassee Dam started the season by scoring 97 runs in nine games, giving the Lady Eagles an overall record of 5-4, 4-2 in the conference. They earned sweeps of Andrews and Hayesville, but were swept by Murphy.
In their three non-conference games so far, Hiwassee Dam beat Copper Basin on April 4, but lost to Franklin and Bradley Central. The Lady Eagles. biggest win of the season came in the first game against Andrews, a 30-0 rout.
Brinkley Payne, Olivia McNabb and Katie McNabb have stood out. Katie McNabb has a .552 batting average, .594 on base percentage, 16 hits and four doubles. Olivia McNabb has two triples, 12 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and a 1.06 ERA on the mound in 33 innings pitched. Brinkley Payne leads the team in home runs with three and has a slugging percentage of 0.827 as well as a perfect fielding percentage.
After spring break, the Lady Eagles will take on Robbinsville in a home-and-home series, with the second game Friday, before two series against Cherokee and Swain County. They will also take on non-conference opponent Copper Basin and Bradley Central again.
Murphy has a perfect 6-0 conference record and is 8-1 overall. The Lady Dogs have series sweeps over Cherokee, Andrews and Hiwassee Dam, plus wins over Polk County, Tenn., and Copper Basin. Their lone loss came against Franklin in the first game of the season.
Julia Dockery and Emma Hensley have been dominant at the plate so far this season. Dockery leads the team with eight stolen bases, 12 runs scored, 19 hits, 10 RBI, a slugging percentage of .750 and six doubles. Hensley leads the team with a .586 batting average and an on-base percentage of .639. On the mound, sophomore Paisley Johnson has a 4-1 record with a 0.99 ERA in 56.1 innings pitched.
When they return from spring break, Murphy will play its second game against Hayesville on Friday, as well as series against Swain County and Robbinsville. The Lady Dogs will face Franklin again Thursday, April 25, and look to avenge their loss.