Taylor launches trio of homers to help Knights zoom past Rockets
Cullowhee – Entering April 10’s neutral-site game against A.C. Reynolds, Naomi Taylor had exactly one home run on her resume.
In back-to-back-to-back fashion, she exponentially increased her career output by going yard three times – and ultimately driving in five runs – to send Robbinsville past the Lady Rockets 7-1 at Western Carolina University.
“I’ve been in a slump, but during the last game (April 8, against Copper Basin), everything clicked,” Taylor said after the win. “So today, I tried to keep my head clear and focus on what I needed to do.”
Taylor’s long balls came with one out in the second (a 3-run shot), plus a pair of leadoff, solo homers in both the fourth and sixth. The remaining production from Robbinsville (13-2, 6-0) came thanks to Suri Watty, who scored on a one-out error in the bottom of the first and singled home Zoie Shuler with one down in the fourth.
Aubrey Treadway walked it off for A.C. Reynolds (6-7) with a 2-run, eighth-inning homer to jet the Rockets past the Lady Knights the first time the two programs met March 27, but Robbinsville senior Memory Frapp and the Knights were having none of that in the return duel. Treadway herself was held hitless April 10, with Frapp (5-0) doling out eight strikeouts in a complete-game victory.
Reynolds’ lone dent in the scoreboard came in the top of the fourth, when Autumn Edmonds drove in Treadway on a one-out double.
“We came to play, because we don’t like to lose,” Taylor added. “Memory really pitched great, too.”
Claire Barlow and Liz Carpenter both doubled in the victory, as well; Sydney Adams, Barlow, Shuler and Anna Williams each swiped a base.
Eagles no match
Hiwassee Dam – The first meeting in the highly-anticipated series between Robbinsville and Hiwassee Dam was a one-sided affair, as the Lady Knights collected a 5-inning, 14-2 road win Tuesday.
Olivia McNabb hit a pair of home runs off Frapp, but that was the only blemishes in the score column on the senior’s complete-game effort. Frapp struck out seven Hiwassee Dam (5-5, 4-3) hopefuls.
Watty turned in a solid performance at the dish to lead Robbinsville, going 3-for-4 and banking four RBIs. She joined Taylor and Adams in roping each of the Lady Knights’ extra-base hits in the victory.
Robbinsville had a combined nine acts of thievery committed between Williams (three stolen bases), Barlow and Shuler (two each), and one apiece for Adams and Caylor.