Softball Game Preview: Smoky Mountain Mustangs vs. West Henderson Falcons

The Smoky Mountain Mustangs will head out on the road to challenge the West Henderson Falcons at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with ten defeats in a row dating back to last season, Smoky Mountain turned things around against North Henderson on Tuesday. They blew past the Knights 17-5. Considering the Mustangs' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Elle Wahnethah was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off five hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in RBI.

Callie Winchester

Runs (Career)

03/11/25 @ North Henderson	4
02/27/25 vs Swain County	2
03/21/24 vs Hayesville	2
03/13/24 vs North Henderson	2
03/07/25 vs Pisgah	1

In other batting news, Callie Winchester was a standout: she scored four runs and stole Two bases. while going 3-for-5. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Ezilah Baylon was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.

Smoky Mountain always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .532. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, West Henderson is still undefeated this season after their contest against Pisgah on Wednesday, but Pisgah came as close as anyone has to beating them. West Henderson came out on top in a nail-biter against Pisgah, sneaking past 4-2. The four-run effort marked the Falcons' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

West Henderson pushed their record up to 7-0 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 4.75 runs across that stretch. As for Smoky Mountain, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-6.

Smoky Mountain couldn't quite get it done against West Henderson in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 6-1. Can Smoky Mountain avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.