Lady Knights softball clears 3rd-round playoff hurdle
Robbinsville – Shortly before first pitch Monday, three Cherryville softball players broke into a dance routine just in front of the visitor dugout at Judy Nichols Memorial Field.
It was apparent that the number was a traditional part of the pregame routine for the Lady Ironmen, who rolled into Graham County with the same record as Robbinsville and strutted onto the field minutes later for their first turn at offense.
The Lady Knights quickly turned out the lights; the party was over.
Another well-rounded effort from Robbinsville led to a definitive 5-1 victory, which advanced the Knights to the fourth round of the postseason for the first time since the magical Western Regional finals run made in 2019.
“This year, everyone wants to win it all,” senior Zoie Shuler said about the difference in the 2024 Knights from teams of the past. “Everyone is locked and wants to not just win for themselves, but everyone wants to win for each other. The team is so close and I think that we are clicking at the right time in the season.”
“I think what makes this team different than the past ones is the bond that we have,” echoed fellow senior Memory Frapp. “There has been nothing but ‘Mudita’ and encouragement amongst the players. Everyone wants the best for their teammates. I believe that every player on this team has the determination to play to their best ability every single time they step on the field.
“We have 16 girls who can get up to bat and hit the ball and 16 girls that can step on the field whenever their name is called.”
In the absence of home runs for only the sixth time this season, Robbinsville (No. 4 seed, 23-2) instead relied on the basics to pick up the victory Monday. Zoie Shuler singled to begin the bottom of the first and came home when Frapp later singled her in with one out. Liz Carpenter sprinted across the dish during the next at-bat on a wild pitch and was followed close behind by Claire Barlow dashing in following an error.
The Lady Knights crafted their final two runs in the second, when Shuler roped a single to bring in Anna Williams and Sophie Roberts produced a hit to drive home Shuler.
With her taps across home plate Monday, Shuler broke the state record for most runs scored in a single season. She now sits at 64; the previous mark was set by Alexander Central’s Vada Sherrill (62) in 2015.
The record is just another that has fallen in Shuler’s season of devastation: she carried the team record for career home runs into 2024 (30) and is currently tied with both Gracye Burchfield and Maggie Knight for the Robbinsville single-season best in long balls (10).
On the campaign trail, Shuler has reset the Knights’ standard for both career stolen bases (109 at press time) and RBIs (121).
“Holding all of these records means a lot to me, especially now having one at the state level,” Shuler said. “It just helps me remember and know that all my hard work is paying off.”
Overwhelmed by the proceedings, Cherryville (No. 5, 22-3) were sent packing after mustering just one response in the top of the third: a groundout by Emma Proctor, which scored Chloee Stroupe.
Robbinsville’s early attack chased Cherryville’s starting pitcher Raylei Gidney after just 1 ⅓ innings of production. The Lady Ironmen called on their ace Laila Davis to stop the bleeding; she lasted for the remainder and only allowed one hit: a two-out Williams triple in the bottom of the sixth.
Meanwhile, Frapp continued her immaculate season. She now sits at 13-0 on the year, with a 2.08 ERA. The senior hurler has also etched her name into the Lady Knights’ record book this year, surpassing Jerri Anna Roper as the all-time strikeout queen; she has 383, as Robbinsville preps for the fourth round.
As the Knights walked into the outfield to capture a keepsake photo of the victory in front of their scoreboard following the victory, some of the players broke into an impromptu dance number.
How appropriate.
Asheboro bound
The Lady Knights have not played a postseason game outside the confines of their home field since the ill-fated regional series against North Stokes in 2019.
That will change Friday, as Robbinsville will make a 4 ½-hour, 262-mile trek to Uwharrie Charter Academy (No. 1, 20-3-1). The Lady Eagles have mowed down Mitchell, 13-3; Swain County, 7-1; and Mountain Island Charter, 11-2 to reach the Elite 8.
Seniors Mollie Bulla (.388 average, 6 HR, 10 doubles, 20 RBIs) and Kenzie Hill (.476, 2 HR, 10 triples, 33 RBIs, 32 stolen bases) are at the forefront of Uwharrie’s offense, while Bulla (14-0, 1.13 ERA, 220 strikeouts) has toted the bulk of the load inside the circle this season.
By comparison, Robbinsville’s team batting average is .398, with a collective 33 home runs and 244 RBIs.
“We have to keep playing how we’ve been playing, but cleaner,” Frapp said. “We all need to have discipline when stepping up to the plate and keep the same energy we have had all season long.
“There isn’t one person on this team that isn’t craving a state title; 16 sisters who love each other is hard to beat. We are in it together, until the end.”
The game will mark the first road playoff game for the Lady Knights since 2019 and is tentatively scheduled to be live-streamed through grahamstarsports.com.
Dogs disposed
Robbinsville hosted Murphy (No. 13, 13-6) in the second round Friday, in the third game between the two Smoky Mountain Conference rivals in a span of nine days.
The Lady Knights were in no mood to see the Bulldogs yet again, eliminating Murphy in a 12-6 victory – the same score Robbinsville posted in its final regular-season game, which was just eight days earlier and also against the Dogs.
Murphy’s Emma Hensley hit a one-out homer in the top of the first, before Robbinsville pulled back ahead in the second on a Presley Caylor RBI single and Naomi Taylor sprinting home on a passed ball.
The Bulldogs surged back ahead in the third, when Paisley Johnson connected to bring home Julia Dockery.
Emma Laney later scored on an error to put Murphy back out front, 3-2.
At that point, the Knights had seen enough of Murphy’s shenanigans. In the bottom of the third, Shuler scored on an error; Frapp launched a 2-run homer; Dreylee Webster doubled home Caylor; and Sydney Adams singled to bring in courtesy runner Delaney Brooms.
Suri Watty then flew out to plate Shuler in the fourth, while Carpenter scored on a series of misfires by the Murphy infield.
The Dogs’ final whimper came in the fifth, when Johnson cleared the basepath on a 3-run double. Frapp went on to groundout and score Carpenter in the sixth, before Webster singled in Caylor and Adams ushered Brooms home again on a hit.
Frapp delivered five innings of work, striking out four to secure win No. 12 of the year. Taylor finished the game inside the circle, blanking two along the way.