Hayesville ends Murphy's softball season
By Amanda Hyatt Staff Writer

Hayesville advanced to the regional finals last Thursday when they defeated Murphy at Hayesville. The hard fought game was witnessed by a large crowd on a beautiful Thursday afternoon.

Following a solid regular season showing by both teams, the athletes and fans enjoyed a livley, competitive atmosphere in which pitching and defense dominated the play and hits were hard to come by. Hayesville's pitcher, Soltys, kept runner's out of scoring position for most of the game, giving up only one run to Murphy's third baseman, H. Curtis. Helping to keep the Lady Bulldogs in check was the Hayesville infield that left no holes for the Murphy hitters and an outfield that anticipated Murphy's long balls well enough to keep the Lady Bulldogs from rounding any bases.

Murphy's defense, which was solid through the third inning, broke down in the fourth, giving up two runs. Back to back hits put the Lady Yellow Jackets up 2-0 giving Murphy an up hill climb for the next three innings. Innings five and six were unproductive for the Lady Bulldogs as well as the Lady Jackets, but the seventh inning allowed Murphy to reach home plate at last. A great hit up the middle propelled the third baseman H. Curtis around the corners, closing the gap to 2-1. This was to be the the last glimpse at a win as Hayesville shut down the last outs of the game, winning 2-1.