Softball Game Preview: North Buncombe Black Hawks vs. R-S Central Hilltoppers

The North Buncombe Black Hawks will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the R-S Central Hilltoppers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.

Last Monday, North Buncombe made easy work of Tuscola and carried off an 8-2 win.

Sadie Jo Hunter

Batters Struck Out (Career)

03/03/25 @ Tuscola	20
04/16/24 vs T.C. Roberson	19
03/27/24 vs Enka	17
04/18/24 vs McDowell	14
05/07/24 vs A.C. Reynolds	13

Sadie Jo Hunter spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on three hits and racked up 20 Ks. Those 20 strikeouts gave her a new career-high.

On the hitting side, Molly Clark was incredible, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in RBI. Lilly Clark was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.

Meanwhile, R-S Central never let their opponents score on Monday. They blew past T.C. Roberson 11-0. The victory continues a trend for the Hilltoppers in their matchups with the Rams: they've now won seven in a row.

The team relied heavily on Alexis Nanney, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Madelyn Hasty, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.

The win got North Buncombe back to even at 1-1. As for R-S Central, their victory bumped their record up to 2-0.

North Buncombe came out on top in a nail-biter against R-S Central in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. Does North Buncombe have another victory up their sleeve, or will R-S Central turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.