Lady Knights romp Mustangs in 2023 debut
Webster – Even the faintest cloud of doubt about how this year’s Robbinsville varsity softball team would mesh on the field seemed to dissipate as quickly as the tightly-knit score.
By the time the dust settled on the top of the third, 13 Lady Knights had came to the plate, nine runs had crossed the dish – and a 2-0 ballgame had spiraled into an 11-0 dictatorship.
Though Smoky Mountain (1-3) mustered a fourth-inning response, Robbinsville had no plans of allowing a rally to take place, sending the hosting Mustangs packing off their home turf in a convincing 5-inning, 14-1 victory.
The Lady Knights spread their first two runs of the season across the opening frames. Zoie Shuler bunted her way aboard to begin the game, soon overtook second and never let off the accelerator when Suri Watty grounded into a fielder’s choice. Kensley Phillips later reached on an error with one out in the second, stole a base and then dashed around the basepath to score on a Claire Barlow single.
In the third-inning blowout, Robbinsville (1-0) collected eight hits, two triples (Phillips, followed later by Shuler) and seven RBIs. Smoky Mountain starter Kaitlyn Helt stayed in the mix for the duration, but was lifted before the fourth in favor of Tazanna Jones, who proved to be effective inside the circle for the Mustangs, slowing the outpour to just three more Knights runs in the fifth: Delaney Brooms and Watty both scored on errors, while Barlow picked up her second RBI when she drove in Memory Frapp.
Only one Smoky Mountain slugger had a multi-hit showing: Abby Branning, who notched a single in the first and a triple in the fourth. Branning scored the Lady Mustangs’ lone run after the 3-bagger, sprinting home on a passed ball.
Otherwise, Frapp was unhittable. She fanned six in four innings of work, before Watty entered the game in the fifth and struck out two. Morgan McCollough smacked a two-out hit to temporarily keep Smoky Mountain’s hopes alive, but a rope from Helt to shallow right was snagged by the speedy defense of freshman Anna Williams to seal the win for Robbinsville.
The Lady Knights will remain on the road this week, traveling to Cherryville (3-0) today; Enka on Friday; and begin Smoky Mountain Conference play Tuesday at Murphy.
Neither the Sugar Jets nor the Bulldogs have logged a contest in 2023.