Lady Knights continue divisional dominance
Robbinsville – Until another contender steps up to the plate, Lady Knights softball will maintain its monopoly over the Smoky Mountain Conference.
The program's 17th divisional title was clinched Monday, thanks to a 5-0 blanking of the visiting Swain County Lady Devils. The win assured Robbinsville a share of the crown, before the Knights grabbed the distinction outright by fanning Cherokee in six innings, 10-0.
Robbinsville has now won eight consecutive league championships, dating back to 2017.
"It never gets old, because every team is new," said head coach Billy Knight. "Every year, there's a bigger target. We have a saying, 'No pressure, no diamonds.'
"One of the things we talk about all the time is playing the game, not the opponent. The girls do a great job of staying focused on that and of course, the ultimate goal is not to win conference: it's just a step along the way of what they're trying to get to."
A series of weather misfortunes led to the last two weeks of the regular season being thrown into disarray. To make up for lost time, Robbinsville (15-3, 10-1) was forced to play a home/away doubleheader Friday at Hayesville before hosting Swain on Monday, in a game that had been rescheduled twice.
It was across the four-game stretch that the Lady Knights showed why they are the team to beat; not just in Western North Carolina, but across the 1A classification statewide.
Robbinsville swept the journey to Clay County in resounding fashion: 15-3, 12-1. In addition to a 9-run first inning, freshman Lexie Williams doubled in Game 1, as did sophomore Dreylee Webster, junior Anna Williams and senior Naomi Taylor. The latter drove in three runs – but so did Webster, as well as freshman Daphne Barlow. Taylor (12-2) struck out five Hayesville (1-13, 1-10) batters en route to the four-inning victory.
By the time Game 2 was underway, the Knights fully intended to show off the entirety of their depth chart. Junior catcher/designated player Sophie Roberts had a multi-base hit and finished the outing with four RBIs. Lexie Williams doubled again as well, while fellow classmate Ella Atwell joined in on the two-base fun. Junior Suri Watty tripled and inside the circle, Knight turned the ball over to sophomore Presley Caylor (3-1) – who also struck out five Jackets to secure the victory.
Against Swain County (15-5, 9-3), Taylor doubled and fanned eight Devils at the plate. Caylor singled home a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, while Webster delivered a two-run homer to cement the outcome in the bottom of the sixth. Tuesday's victory over Cherokee (5-6, 4-6) became a breakout performance for freshman Kynadee Spencer, who used her first start in the leadoff spot to double and drive in three. Caylor had another double, while Taylor added six more strikeouts to her season tally of 83.
In other words, there's not a weak spot in Robbinsville's dugout – and no matter the level of varsity experience a Lady Knight possesses when stepping onto the field, it never gets easier for opponents.
"We're winning games differently this year," Knight assessed. "We have really good defense – this is the best defensive team I've ever had, I know that. We have a lot of young players that are getting better every day. We execute really well."
The Knights will finish the regular season today at Cherokee, before eyeing another deep playoff run. Robbinsville advanced to its second Western finals appearance in history last year and is in line for a No. 3 seed in the 1A West bracket – which does nothing but play right into one of the Knights' strongest reputations.
"We'll have at least three home games – and it's always tough to beat us here," Knight said. "At least we're in the conversation every year. That's consistent. We feel like we've always got a chance.
"We'll just take it one game at a time."