Softball Game Preview: Hayesville Yellowjackets vs. Smoky Mountain Mustangs

The Hayesville Yellowjackets will head out to take on the Smoky Mountain Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Hayesville will be strutting in after a victory while Smoky Mountain will be coming in after a defeat.

Having struggled with 15 losses in a row dating back to last season, Hayesville turned things around against Andrews on Friday. Everything went their way against the Wildcats as they made off with a 14-5 win. The high-scoring effort was just what the Yellowjackets needed considering they were shut out in their previous contest.

Micalynn McClure was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off eight hits. McClure was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing Three bases. while going 3-for-5.

In other batting news, Hayesville got a massive performance out of Raylyn Taylor, who scored two runs and stole Three bases. while going 1-for-5. That's the most runs Taylor has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Mallory Peck, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4.

Hayesville hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Andrews struck out ten times.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 17 runs the game before, Smoky Mountain was a bit more limited in their match on Thursday. They came up short against West Henderson, falling 18-2. The defeat continues a trend for the Mustangs in their meetings with the Falcons: they've now lost five in a row.

Smoky Mountain saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gracie-Lee Irons, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one RBI. That stolen base was Irons' first of the season.

The victory got Hayesville back to even at 1-1. As for Smoky Mountain, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.

Hayesville couldn't quite get it done against Smoky Mountain in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 as they fell 14-9. Can Hayesville avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.