Robert Turner Shines As Murphy Completes 7th Inning Comeback To Knockoff Hayesville
Sports, Team FYN Sports April 26, 2023
Hayesville, NC- The two top teams in the Smoky Mountain Conference took to the diamond last night as Hayesville hosted Murphy in game one of the conference rivals’ two-game series.
Braxton Cherry started the game for the Yellow Jackets, and the ace had a great outing on the mound. The lefty last 6 innings while allowing just 2 runs on five hits and striking out 7.
Cole Laney toed the rubber for the Dogs, allowing 4 runs (0 Earned Runs) on three hits over five innings while striking out 8 Hayesville batters. Robert Turner came on in relief and picked up the win for the Bulldogs as he threw two innings of perfect baseball, allowing 0 runs on 0 hits while striking out 3.
Turner was also the leading force at the plate for the Bulldogs as he went 4-4 on the evening, including a double and 2 RBIs.
Recap:
Hayesville jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning as they plated three runs due in part to Dakota Matheson’s RBI triple. The Jackets would tack on one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning and all things were coming up Hayesville as they headed into the final inning with a 4-1 lead over the Bulldogs.
Zack Skogen led off the top of the seventh inning with a single to left field which gave the Bulldogs a sign of life. Mason Thrasher then drew a walk which brought former Hayesville Yellow Jacket Mason Cook to the plate and Cook wasted no time with the bat in his hands as he was able to line-drive a single to left field and make it a two-run ballgame.
With the pressure mounting, freshman Robert Turner stepped up to the plate for the Dogs with two runners on and one out in the inning. After quickly getting ahead in the count 2-0, Turner centered up a fastball to center field that scored both base runners and tied the game at 4 runs a piece.
After a Cole Laney single, Turner was now on third base as the potential game-winning run as Isaac Cole stepped into the box. Isaac Cole seized the opportunity with a sac-fly to center field that allowed the Bulldogs to take the lead, 5-4.
Heading into the bottom of the seventh inning the Bulldogs fate relied on freshman Robert Turner once again, as the righty took the mound needing only three outs to come away with a victory.
Turner slammed the door shut on the Jackets in the final half-inning, setting Hayesville down in order thanks to two strikeouts and a flyout.
Smoky Mountain Conference Baseball Stat Leaders & Standings Entering Week 9
Sports, Team FYN Sports April 24, 2023
SMC- Heading into week 9 of the NCHSAA baseball season, let’s take a look at our Smoky Mountain Conference standings and stat leaders. We still have some big series coming up as Hayesville and Murphy take this field this week, as do Robbinsville and Hiwassee Dam.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1 Hayesville (8-0)
1 Murphy (8-0)
3 Swain Co. (6-8)
4 Hiwassee Dam (4-9)
4 Robbinsville (6-10)
6 Andrews (2-8)
7 Cherokee (1-9)
CONFERENCE STAT LEADERS
Murphy Overcomes Errors In The Field To Defeat Hiwassee Dam
Team FYN Sports April 19, 2023
Murphy, NC- The Murphy Bulldogs played host to the Hiwassee Dam Eagles at Flip Watson Field in Konehete Park on Tuesday evening in a Smoky Mountain Conference bout.
Hiwassee Dam jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning when Clay Davis drove in Evan Hedrick on a single to right center field.
The Eagles lead didn’t last long, however, as the Bulldogs knotted things up quickly in the bottom of the first when Robert Turner scored on a passed ball. the Bulldogs would take the lead for good in the fourth inning as they plated 4 runs thanks to some untimely errors by the Hiwassee Dam defense.
Cole Laney toed the rubber for the Bulldogs and was credited with the win after lasting 5 innings on the bump. Laney allowed 0 earned runs on 4 hits and struck out 12 Hiwassee Dam batters during his tenure. Robert Turner came on in relief of Laney and threw 2 innings of no-hit baseball to close out the game.
Clay Davis started the game for the Eagles on the mound and allowed 2 earned runs on 3 hits over 3.2 innings. Davis also led the Eagles at the plate as he went 2-2 with 2 RBIs and a walk in the loss.
The Bulldogs’ offense was powered by Robert Turner, Isaac Cole, Ty Laney, and Mason Cook as the quartet accounted for all 4 of the Bulldogs hits in the game. Isaac Cole and Cole Laney were also credited with 2 RBIs each.
Murphy and Hiwassee Dam will take the field once again on Friday at Hiwassee Dam for the final game of this 2 game series.
Smoky Mountain Conference Baseball Stat Leaders Through March 27th
Business, Sports, Team FYN Sports March 28, 2023
MaxPreps- We are currently about 5 weeks into the Smoky Mountain Conference baseball season as we inch near the end of March. Let’s take a look at our stat leaders and conference standings through March 27th.
SMC League Standings
As you can see, Smoky Mountain Conference teams have played anywhere from just 2 games to 8 games in the 2023 season. The Murphy Bulldogs stans atop the standings at this point, as they are 3-0 in conference play and 4-4 overall on the year. Hayesville just got their baseball season underway as they take things slow under first-year head coach Joe Sellers, but they are looking very good through three games this season. Their one loss on the year was on the road vs Tuscola, and since then they’ve picked up two blowout wins over Andrews. Swain County is also on the up-and-up, as they seem to have found their footing after a rocky start and have rattled off 3 straight wins vs Conference opponents. Hiwassee Dam, Andrews, and Cherokee have all notched one conference win this season, while Robbinsville is still struggling to put things together.
SMC League Leaders
Gabe Lillard, Evan Hedrick, Carter Hayes, John Ledford, and Robert Turner are your Smoky Mountain Conference stat leaders in their respective categories through March 27th.
Lillard has been fooling batters all year on the mound, as he is the league leader in strikeouts and second in Earned Run Average, right behind Tanner Hedrick.
Hedrick has been very efficient for Hiwassee Dam on the mound, as he has only allowed 2 runs on 9 hits in 10 innings pitched so far this season for the Eagles.
Gabe Lillard’s teammate and fellow Maroon Devil Carter Hayes leads the league in batting average (min. 20 Plate App.), hitting .450 on the year.
Bulldogs John Ledford and Robert Turner round out the list of stat leaders as Ledford has driven in 9 RBI’s through 8 games this season, and freshman Robert Turner has been sneaky on the basepaths as he’s credited with 8 Stolen Bases on the year.
TeamFYNSports will update the stat leaders bi-weekly to ensure that we shine a light on these student-athletes and their accomplishments.
Bulldogs Offense Explodes For 21 Runs In Rout Of Cherokee
Team FYN Sports March 25, 2023
Photo Courtesy of Kristi Cook
Cherokee, NC- The Cherokee Braves played host to the Murphy Bulldogs on Thursday evening in the second and final meeting of the year for the two teams.
Murphy was able to get things going early at the plate, as they plated 21 runs in the 5 inning game to defeat the Braves, 21-2.
The Bulldogs were credited with 14 hits vs Cherokee, as Mason Cook, John Ledford, and Robert Turner all managed multiple hits on the evening.
John Ledford had perhaps the most impressive outing of all the Bulldogs on Thursday, as he went 3-4 at the plate with 2 doubles and 5 runs batted in.
In total, 9 Bulldogs reached based safely and were credited with hits.
Mason Cook and Robert Turner also made the most of their time on the base-paths, as they both stole 4 bases.
Cole Laney toed the rubber for the Bulldogs, allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 10 and walking 4 Cherokee batters.
The Bulldogs will be back on the diamond on Wednesday, March 29th vs Rabun Gap. That game will be broadcast live on FYNTV.com.