Lady Knights improve to 11-0
Kings Mountain – The first run scored this season against Robbinsville’s Ella Nelms came in the bottom of the first, March 26.
Kings Mountain will go down in the record books as the program to end a scoreless streak against the Lady Knights’ freshman sensation, as the 6A Lady Mountaineers temporarily cracked Nelms’ code when Kayla McSwain grounded out to bring in Addison Carpenter – who had tripled to lead off the frame.
But Kings Mountain will also go into the archives as the team that severely irritated Nelms.
Not too pleased about the proceedings, she went on to strike out 15 Lady Mountaineers in succession and ultimately sat down 18 batters to shatter the old school record and help keep Kings Mountain at-bay in a 10-1 Robbinsville squash.
Nelms surpassed her 100th varsity strikeout when she fanned Macie Hawkins to end the bottom of the fifth. Following Monday’s divisional win over Hiwassee Dam, she has 111 on the campaign – while only coughing up 12 walks and 14 hits. Her ERA is a minuscule 0.13.
Contributing to the offensive side of the ball at Kings Mountain (7-3) was a five-run second, which kicked off with Sydney Adams successfully pulling off a squeeze bunt that brought courtesy runner Myah Winfrey sprinting home to tie the game. Nelms had tripled to begin the inning, but looked on as Khaygen Buchanan tripled to usher home Adams and Lexie Williams and give Robbinsville (11-0) a 3-1 advantage.
Buchanan soon dashed across the dish on an error, before Suri Watty grounded out to score Kynadee Spencer.
Adams went on to rope a long single in the third, which brought in Winfrey and courtesy runner Loxley Burke. Sophie Roberts later singled to bring Daphne Barlow across in the fourth, before Winfrey grounded out to collect an RBI when Barlow touched home.
The Lady Knights’ final bit of insurance came in the seventh, thanks to a Watty single that brought in Buchanan.
Eagles clipped
Robbinsville – Nelms struck out seven and held the Lady Eagles to just two hits in Robbinsville’s return home Monday, as the Lady Knights ran up a 10-0 score before the fifth inning concluded.
Burke and Dreylee Webster both homered in the rout, while Adams, Barlow, Roberts and Williams each doubled. The game was scoreless until Robbinsville (7-0 in Smoky Mountain Conference play) opened up the floodgates with an eight-run bottom of the second; Burke’s home run sent the Knights’ faithful home early – and thrilled.