Smoky Mountain is 0-4 against Murphy since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Smoky Mountain Mustangs will be playing at home against the Murphy Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Monday, Smoky Mountain got themselves on the board against Tuscola, but Tuscola never followed suit. They came out on top against the Mountaineers by a score of 5-0. The victory was just what Smoky Mountain needed coming off of a 20-1 loss in their prior contest.
The result came thanks to Addie Mull's shutout, as she gave up just three hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Abby Branning was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Kaitlyn Taquette was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Murphy came tearing into Friday's matchup with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.9 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 3-0 win over the Eagles. Murphy's pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last three matches.
Not much got past Paisley Johnson, who gave up just two hits and racked up 15 Ks to keep Hiwassee Dam off the board.
At the plate, Murphy's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Emma Hensley, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Smoky Mountain has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 4-6 record this season. As for Murphy, they pushed their record up to 8-1 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Smoky Mountain might still be hurting after the 14-2 defeat they got from Murphy when the teams last played back in March of 2023. Can Smoky Mountain avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
