Softball Game Preview: Hayesville Yellowjackets vs. Swain County Maroon Devils

Hayesville is 1-9 against Swain County since March of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. Hayesville will square off against Swain County at 4:30 p.m. Neither Hayesville nor Swain County posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Hayesville is headed into Tuesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Friday. They came up short against Hiwassee Dam, falling 11-1.

Meanwhile, Swain County had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Bulldogs 2-0. The game snapped a strange streak: the last four times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.

Rylee Rawls was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in May of 2024.

Rawls wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Carley Teesateskie, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and two RBI.

Hayesville's loss dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Swain County, they picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 7-3.

Hayesville might still be hurting after the 11-1 defeat they got from Swain County in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can Hayesville avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.