Nelms now all-time strikeout leader
With the season well past the midway point, it's time to pose a legitimate question: is there a team left on the road to a state championship that can derail the Robbinsville Lady Knights?
The hits just keep coming for the 1A powerhouse, which disposed of Hiwassee Dam (3-6, 3-5) on the road April 2, 15-0; downed Copper Basin (Tenn.) (6-2) in a 7-1 triumph Friday; and knocked off Cherokee (4-4, 4-4) in a 10-0 divisional shutout Tuesday.
In each of the wins, freshman sensation Ella Nelms mowed down 12 batters via strikeout. During Friday's game against the Lady Cougars, Nelms (14-0) broke the single-season program record for most strikeouts in a season and at press time, sits idle at 147. She has only surrendered 15 hits this year and issued the same amount of walks.
Nelms tossed her second perfect game of the season against the Lady Braves, as well. Her ERA sits at a slim 0.09.
At the plate, Robbinsville (14-0, 9-0) has outpaced the opposition 163-4 in 2026.
Sophie Roberts launched her second home run of the campaign at Hiwassee Dam, while Nelms, Natalee Myers and Kynadee Spencer each doubled. Loxley Burke also posted four RBIs in the victory.
Nelms is now tied for the team lead in homers (along with Daphne Barlow), after sending her third into the Graham County stratosphere Friday against Copper Basin. During Tuesday's Smoky Mountain Conference win, Anna Williams doubled twice and had three hits overall; Suri Watty drove in three runs; and Roberts and Dreylee Webster both hit doubles, as well.
Robbinsville will travel to Western Carolina University for a 6:30 p.m., first pitch tonight against A.C. Reynolds (5-6). If you cannot attend the game in-person, it will be live-streamed through grahamstarsports.com.
The Lady Knights downed the Lady Rockets 9-2 at Judy Nichols Memorial Field on March 19.
Cherokee will welcome Robbinsville on Friday, before Copper Basin and the Knights do battle at Young Harris College at 6 p.m., Monday, in another game that will be live-streamed through grahamstarsports.com.