Middle school softball goes 2-1 in final homestand
-
Prior to Tuesday’s season finale, Robbinsville Middle School recognized its eighth-grade softball players: Liz Carpenter, Keilee Pressley, Claire Barlow, Bailie Conley, Lakelyn Eller, Abby Adams and Olivia Stewart (from left). Photo courtesy of Anna Stewart
Robbinsville – In the final action of the shortened season, Robbinsville Middle School’s softball team welcomed Cherokee, Hayesville and Rosman.
The Lady Knights (5-4) dropped a wild 21-9 contest to the Lady Braves on Friday, before recouping with a 12-2 win over Hayesville in a make-up game Monday, before recording a 15-5 triumph over the Lady Tigers in the season finale Tuesday.
“I am so proud of my girls and how hard they played,” said Robbinsville head coach Anna Stewart. “They hit hard and played good defense. All the girls have finally came together and started playing as a team, and it showed in the last two games.”
Cherokee put up three runs in the top of the first, with Robbinsville’s response coming in the form of a sacrifice groundout from Abby Adams – which scored courtesy runner Sydney Adams – and a long double by Keilee Pressley, which plated Anna Williams.
The score stayed intact until the third, when the Braves sent four runners across the dish on a infield hit, an error, a single and a triple.
The Knights closed the gap to 7-3 when Bailie Conley came home on an error in the bottom of the frame, but Cherokee scored five runs in the top of the fourth – and two more in the fifth – to widen the margin.
In danger of an early ending, Robbinsville began chipping away in the bottom of the fifth, with courtesy runner Claire Barlow, Abby Adams and Pressley each scoring on errors.
The Lady Braves drove in runs on a double and a triple in their portion of the sixth, while Williams singled to score Sydney Adams in the bottom half of the inning.
Cherokee did its final damage on a sacrifice grounder, a passed ball and a 2-run double in the top of the seventh and though Olivia Stewart started the final Robbinsville segment with an inside-the-park homer, the Lady Knights were not able to generate further offense.
The program will bid adieu to seven players, who are making the move to the high school ranks.
“I love each and everyone of them and it has been my honor to coach them this year,” Stewart added. “I am so excited to see what the ladies do next year. And to my 8th-grade girls: I have loved each moment we have shared on the field and I will be cheering you on in high school. I will always be here for you.”