By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Hayesville only managed two hits against one of the best pitchers in the Smoky Mountain Conference Tuesday, but the Lady Yellow Jackets made the most of limited opportunities to score 4 runs against SMC leading Murphy.
Bulldogs ace Paisley Johnson, who sports an .88 ERA and a 4-1 record, struck out the first 11 batters she faced and finished with 17 strikeouts as Murphy, 7-0 conference, 10-1 overall, prevailed, 10-4.
Hayesville scrapped and clawed for 3 runs in the sixth inning and another in the seventh by playing small ball and taking advantage of five errors by Murphy.
Hayesville struggled to hit Johnson, but the Lady Jackets only trailed 2-0 after four innings.
“I thought we competed at a higher level for over half the game. We struggled to hit against their pitching and utilized some timely bunts to manufacture some runs,” Hayesville Coach Marissa Peck stated.
Madison Graves was the first Lady Jacket to reach base. She was also the first to score. Graves bunted and reached on an error and scored when Jasmine Brooks stroked a single to right and Murphy made another error.
Brooks and Callie Long, who bunted and reached on an error, came home on Mallory Peck’s 2-out single.
Raelyn Taylor scored Hayesville’s final run in the seventh inning. Taylor drew a walk, advanced to third base on an error and a ground out and crossed the plate on Long’s sacrifice bunt.
Hayesville, 1-6 SMC, 1-8 overall, played at Cherokee on Wednesday. The Lady Jackets host Murphy Friday and Copper Basin on Monday.