Durham – Game 1 of the 2026, 1A state championship softball series went to the Robbinsville Lady Knights.
And they made it look easy.
A six-run first inning gave the Western Regional champions all the boost they needed, as Robbinsville ended the series opener early by routing Bear Grass Charter 10-0 at Duke University's Smith Family Field.
With one out in the bottom of the first, Sophie Roberts raked a two-run single into left field to bring home Suri Watty and Daphne Barlow. Later with two outs, Anna Williams began her bid for MVP honors in the series by launching a grand slam over the center-field fence.
"It was crazy," Williams said after the game. "I got up there and I see that (the) bases are loaded. I'm thinking, 'Just do my thing, I'm a great hitter.' I calmed myself down and got my pitch."
Robbinsville (26-2) cooled off until the third, turning the heat back on with a Williams single that plated courtesy runner Loxley Burke. She replicated the same feat to usher home Burke in the game-clinching fifth, capping her day with six RBIs.
"Being here is a completely-different experience than anything. You want to just clear your head and go," Williams said.
Watty delivered the final blow with a two-run hit later in the inning, which scored Williams and Ella Atwell to conclude the game a mere 87 minutes after it began.
Ella Nelms (21-0) kept Bear Grass (25-4) at-bay throughout the evening, carrying a perfect game into the fourth inning and finishing with nine strikeouts. The only Lady Bears to record a hit were Aubrey Dotson, who ended the perfect-game bid with a leadoff single in the fourth; plus Lillianna Whitehurst and Carolina Jenkins, who reached safely in the fifth.
Nelms now has 219 strikeouts on the year and boasts an ERA of 0.12.
Game 2 will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday. Check this story Saturday evening for a recap.
"This helps us a lot with our confidence," Williams said of Friday's win. "We were pretty settled in today, but I think after today, we'll be really calmed down."