Andrews – The Wildcats’ softball team hosted Hiwassee Dam for both team’s first Smoky Mountain Conference game of the season on March 19.
From the get-go, the Lady Eagles opened the floodgates. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead through the first and did not let up.
In the second inning, Hiwassee Dam scored 14 more runs. Then to close out the game and earn the mercy rule win, they added on nine runs in the third inning.
The Lady Eagles’ pitching was also on display through Olivia McNabb and Olivia William’s performance on the mound. They combined for a no-hitter.
Katie McNabb led the team in hits with five in five at bats, scoring four runs with six RBI. Olivia McNabb also had six RBI and went 3-4 at the plate. Brinkley Payne capped off their offense with a home run.
Every player on the team with more than one at bat scored at least one run and had at least one RBI.
Lady Eagles head coach Chet Kendall said the team played well. He was proud of their start to the season.
“They brought the practice to the game, so they did a good job. I’m very proud. We had a couple mistakes that we’ll work on, but for the most part they did really well,” he said.
Kendall said Katie McNabb, Olivia Williams and Sky Taylor stood out.
“Katie McNabb had some great at-bats. Olivia Williams had some great at-bats. Sky Taylor had some great at-bats. We were expecting it, but I don’t if they were when they had great at-bats,” he said.
Many people have been quoted saying that you don’t learn anything from winning, but Kendall said they learned a lot from their win over Andrews.
“I learned that the girls are listening, so they’re taking what we’re saying at practice and they’re applying it to the field. We learned a lot from that,” he said.
Lady Wildcats head coach Regan Holder said her players hung their heads early in the game.
“They hung their heads pretty soon as a team, as a whole, but there were a few people who didn’t. Kinleigh [Queen] and Chanteah [Rattler], the two people who pitched, continued to work. Hannah [Talkington] behind the plate, she hustled the entire game. Walking balls, running to get balls, she never stopped hustling,” Holder said.
“And then when Chanteah was at shortstop, who continued to make diving plays. So I was really proud of them for digging deep, even though the team as a whole had their heads down.”
On Friday, the teams were scheduled to meet again, but the game was suspended due to weather. They are working to set a reschedule date.
On March 20, the Lady Eagles headed to Franklin for their first non-conference game of the season. They came up short and lost 4-2.
In stark contrast to the March 19 game, most of the Lady Eagles were held hitless against Franklin. Avery McNabb had two hits and Gracie Rhodes and Olivia McNabb had one hit each. Rhodes and Olivia McNabb scored the two runs for Hiwassee Dam. They scored two runs on four hits and had two errors in their loss.
On the mound, Olivia McNabb pitched all six innings. She threw seven strikeouts and didn’t allow any earned runs.
On Thursday, the Lady Eagles travel to Hayesville to take on the Yellow Jackets. First pitch is at 4:30 p.m. Also Thursday, the Lady Wildcats will host the Murphy Lady Bulldogs, with first pitch at 4:30 p.m.