Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Second baseman Daylyn Murray, No. 11, camps under a pop-up as Lila Roberts, No. 6, offers encouragement.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Getting on base, scoring runs and playing stingy defense.
Those are the themes first-year softball coach Marissa Peck is stressing to her young team during Spring Break this week.
“Defensively, we are still working on decreasing the number of errors,” Hayesville Coach Marissa Peck said. “Offensively, we still have to make adjustments in the batters box to manufacture runs.”
Run production is priority No. 1.
Hayesville managed just five hits and two runs in the last three games as the Lady Yellow Jackets — 2-5 overall, 2-4 in the conference — dropped four in-a-row.
Granted, the one-sided loses came against teams with winning records, Hiwassee Dam and Swain, but Peck knows that her hard-working crew is capable of more than a .243 batting average and an average of 2.6 runs per game.
The new and improved Lady Jackets return to action at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18 at Cherokee.
Hiwassee Dam 11, Hayesville 1
Hayesville’s offense struggled at Hiwassee Dam last Thursday, but the Lady Yellow Jackets’ glove work was downright impressive in an 11-1 loss to the best softball team in the Smoky Mountain Conference.
Freshman outfielder Daylyn Murray made two superb catches at the fence – one in cente rfield and one in left – that saved at least two runs and slick-fielding sophomore second baseman Raylyn Taylor made five putouts in as many chances, including a picture-perfect backpedaling catch on the lip of the infield.
On the season, Taylor has 14 put outs in 15 chances and a spotless fielding percentage of 1.000. Faith Odell, 15 put outs in 16 chances, is the only other Hayesville player with a 1.000 mark.
Both “lyns” came up big during a Hiwassee Dam rally in the bottom of the third inning. The Eagles went up 6-1 when Olivia McNabb tripled and scored on Allison Stiles’ single with no outs. The next batter, Katie McNabb lofted a high fly to left field fence, but Murray gloved the ball and robbed McNabb of a homerun. Taylor took care of the next two outs, pocketing a pop-up for the second out and getting the third out on a fielder’s choice. Total damage for the inning: one run.
Fine fielding also got Hayesville out of trouble in the next inning. Third baseman Gracelynn Anderson made a nice running catch on a foul pop for the first out and pitcher Addie Bunch disposed of a one-hopper back through the circle for the third. Unfortunately, Hiwassee Dam, 7-3 overall, 5-0 conference, scored 4 runs to put the game out of reach before Hayesville tightened the screws.
Lila Roberts also had a nice catch in center field.
The Lady Jackets were unable to solve Olivia McNabb, who tossed a one-hitter and struck out seven in a game that ended due to the 10-run rule when Katie McNabb blasted a lead off home run in the sixth inning.
Hayesville’s lone hit came from freshman Bryleigh Kreiger, who drove in Odell in the second inning. Krieger leads Hayesville in ribbies with four.
Odell leads the team in batting average, .400, on base percentage, .478, hits - eight, same as Lila Roberts, runs five and stolen bases, four.