Bryson City – Over the years the Swain versus Murphy matchups have been some of the best softball played in the Smoky Mountain Conference. Unfortunately it has been awhile since the two have turned in one of those classics. Friday the two old foes turned back the clock and had themselves a dandy. In the end it would be Murphy who came away with a hard fought 3-2 win over the Lady Devils.
But for seven innings the two teams stood toe-to-toe with each other and went at it. It was a game of defense, pitching and timely hitting.
For the Lady Devils, it boiled down to 5 costly errors that turned the tide. Murphy tallied all 3 of their runs in the decisive 4th inning, where a Swain miscue allowed Murphy to score all of their runs. It erased a 1-0 lead the Lady Devils had held since the 1st inning.
In that 1st inning, Brayden Taylor reached on a Bulldog error and advanced to 2nd base to open the game. Taylor was able to steal 3rd base and come in to score the first run of the game on a Kenzie Eagleman double.
It would be all of Swain’s scoring until the 5th inning. Kele Eagleman led off the inning with a single to left field. Ayianna West followed that with a single of her own, and one out later Kendall Bowers loaded the bases with an infield single. Kele Eagleman would come home to score on Kenzie Eagleman’s fielders choice.
Ayianna West finished 2-3, while Kele Eagleman was 1-2 and reached a 2nd time after being hit by a pitch. Kenzie Eagleman and Ashton Younce were 1-3, with Eagleman driving in both Swain runs.
In the circle Stacey Griggs turned in another ace like performance. The sophomore yielded six hits and walked 3 batters, and worked out of trouble throughout the game. She struck out 5 and gave up no earned runs in 7 innings of work.