Webster homers twice in single game; Lady Knights now 17-0
Cullowhee – Just a few weeks after Western Carolina University re-named its softball complex after the program's founder, a high school team helped christen the field.
The Robbinsville Lady Knights rolled onto campus April 9, playing as the away team in the annual neutral-site clash with the A.C. Reynolds Lady Rockets. Graham County's contribution to the Smoky Mountain Conference showed why the Catamounts need to recruit close to home, as a decisive team effort led to a 9-0 shutout of the 4A Rockets.
Dreylee Webster unleashed a pair of home runs in the game: putting two on the board in the second and tacking on a three-RBI dinger in the fifth. Anna Williams also hit her first long ball of the campaign in the win – a solo shot in the sixth. Sophie Roberts doubled to drive in Suri Watty in the fifth – just moments before Webster's second launch.
Robbinsville (17-0) did its final bit of damage in the seventh, when Loxley Burke scored on a throwing error and Natalee Myers grounded out to score Lexie Williams.
Freshman phenom Ella Nelms (16-0) struck out 13 in 6 1/3 innings of work inside the circle. Kynadee Spencer was called on to polish off the final two outs.
Braves, Cougars fall
The Knights continued down their path of destruction in their only divisional action of the week: a 16-5 road victory over Cherokee (4-5, 4-5).
No one homered in the game, but Khaygen Buchanan went 4-for-4 at the dish and drove in three runs. Ella Atwell and Suri Watty both doubled twice and each had two RBIs, while Roberts collected three RBIs of her own.
Spencer got the nod as the starting pitcher and earned her first career varsity win as a result, lifting Robbinsville to a perfect 10-0 in league play by tossing three innings. Watty served up the last two innings and only coughed up one hit in relief.
A game that was set to be played at Young Harris College on Monday had to be moved to Judy Nichols Memorial Field at the last moment, with the Knights welcoming Copper Basin (7-3) back to Graham County due to scheduling conflicts with umpires.
All the move did was give the Lady Cougars a longer bus ride to face the inevitable: a 10-1 whipping at the hands of Robbinsville.
Williams connected for her second home run in the game, while Daphne Barlow roped three doubles. Nelms returned to the line-up and also doubled, while striking out nine in a complete-game effort. Nelms now sits at 169 strikeouts this season.
Watty had four RBIs off two hits to round out the drubbing.