Bulldogs Attack Rebels

Saturday, the Fannin Rebels traveled to North Carolina to take on the Murphy Bulldogs. Fannin was looking for a win for their last game of the regular season while Murphy was looking to remain undefeated.

Murphy decided to get an early lead in the first inning of the game while Fannin struggled to compete against their offense. Carson Beavers started off pitching for the Rebels where he walked two batters and struck out one over a total of two innings. The Bulldogs had a 2-0 lead over the Rebels at the end of the first inning. The Bulldogs kept extending their lead while the Rebels didn’t manage to get a run on the board until the fourth inning.

Not only did Fannin struggle on defense, but also offense. Murphy’s pitcher, Caleb Irwin, threw a great game over three innings with two walks and eight strikeouts. Bulldogs, Joey Curry and Nathan Barolet, made an appearance in the game to come in and pitch. The two pitchers added more strikeouts to the board, putting the total number of strikeouts for the day at 13.

Chandler Kendall came in to pitch for Beavers in the fourth inning. Kendall pitched a total of two innings where he struck out three batters and walked only one. The Rebels started to make things happen on offense when Garrett Rogers stepped up to the plate. Rogers hit a bomb to right field that advanced him to third base. Blake Rogers went to the plate with the same determination, hitting a pop-fly to center field, and sacrificing himself as an out so that his teammate could score. Rogers run put the score at 4-1 with Murphy still in the lead. Not only did Garrett start off the inning on offense, he also closed it on defense with a great throw from left field where he threw a runner out at third base.

Fannin lost their fire in the fifth inning where they had no luck hitting the ball. In the bottom of the fifth, Dylan Walton came in to pitch for the Rebels. Walton pitched a total of 0.2 innings where he walked four batters and allowed two hits.

Rebel, Tyler Norton, came in the game to pitch at the bottom of the sixth inning. Norton pitched a total of 0.1 innings where he walked one batter and allowed only one hit. Just a few pitches later, Fannin relieved Norton on the mound with Bryson Pack. Pack only had time to throw one pitch that was hit and brought Murphy’s last run in to get the ten point lead they needed to end the game. The Bulldogs closed out the game with an 11-1 victory over Fannin.

Fannin’s loss puts their overall record at 17-11 while Murphy remains undefeated. Catch Fannin’s next game on Thursday, April 26, as they travel to Franklin County for the first round of the state playoffs!