While it is certainly true that one inning does not a season make, if the first inning of Tuesday’s softball season opener is any indication of how things are going to go this year, the rest of the Western Highlands conference may be in for a bit of a bumpy ride.
The Lady Wolverines came out of the box strong against the visitors from North Buncombe High. All-State junior pitcher Jamie Hrobak mowed down three of the first four Lady Hawk batters she faced, en route to a dominating three-hit, 16-strikeout complete game performance, earning her 30th career victory for Polk County.

Polk’s offense touched up the Lady Hawks for five runs in the bottom of the first, with hits by Hrobak and Cassie Couch capped by a booming three-run shot over the center field fence by Kara Garvin, giving  the Polk squad a 5-0 lead at the end of the first.
Polk added two more runs in the second inning on a blistering RBI double by junior catcher Alyssa Montgomery that split the gap in left center field, scoring Amber Lynch from second base. Montgomery scored later in the inning on a sacrifice by Couch to make it 7-0 after two.
Although North Buncombe managed to eke out three runs in the top of the third, courtesy of some sloppy two-out defensive play by the Lady Wolverines and a wild pitch by Hrobak, it was too little, too late for the overmatched visitors from Weaverville.
The Lady Wolverines travel to Asheville today, Thursday, March 3, to take on a tough Lady Cougars squad that defeated East Henderson Tuesday by a score of 7-1, and then returns home to host East Henderson on Friday, March 4.