Lady Bulldogs Walk It Off Against Cherokee

Lady Bulldogs Walk It Off Against Cherokee in Extra-Inning Thriller

 

MURPHY — It took a little extra time, but the Murphy Lady Bulldogs found a way Tuesday evening.

 

Locked in a 2-2 battle heading into the bottom of the ninth, Murphy got the moment it needed when Piper Dalton delivered a walk-off single, lifting the Lady Bulldogs to a 3-2 win over Cherokee.

 

It was the kind of game that never gave much away. Both teams leaned on strong pitching and timely defense, keeping runs hard to come by from the start.

 

Cherokee broke through first in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly from Emilee Brady, taking a 1-0 lead. From there, it turned into a pitcher’s duel.

 

Murphy’s Paisley Johnson was steady all night in the circle, going the distance and striking out 12 while not issuing a single walk. Cherokee managed just two runs across nine innings against her.

 

The Lady Bulldogs kept chipping away and finally pulled even in the bottom of the seventh when Johnson helped her own cause, lacing a single down the left field line to tie the game at two.

 

From there, both teams traded zeros until Murphy came to bat in the ninth. With the game still hanging in the balance, Dalton stepped in and delivered, sending a base hit into play that brought home the winning run and sent the home crowd into celebration.

 

Murphy finished with 11 hits on the night, with Gracie Moore, Emma Laney, Johnson, and Emma Hensley each collecting two. Dalton, Johnson, and Hensley accounted for the RBIs.

 

Cherokee was just as sharp defensively, playing error-free ball behind Brady, who struck out eight over eight and two-thirds innings. Haley Locust and Kennedy Moore led Cherokee with two hits apiece.

 

Murphy now turns its attention to a quick turnaround, hitting the road Wednesday for a matchup at Smoky Mountain, carrying a little momentum after a hard-earned win at home.