With the first six batters rapping out 17 hits, Polk County trounced the visiting Asheville Trailblazers, 13-3, in non-conference softball on Wednesday, May 4.

It was the second lopsided win in two days for the Wolverines, who raised their record to 12-8 overall, and 7-4 in the Western Highlands Conference. Tuesday’s conference 13-0 win over visiting Hendersonville gave the Wolverines a better shot at post-season play.

Against the Trailblazers, Haley Fowler was three-for-four. Hayley Kropp was three-for-four with her second home run in two days, while scoring three and driving in four. Autumn Owen was two-for-four with one run. Maranda Gosnell doubled and homered, and was four-for four, scoring four, and knocking in four. Winning pitcher Ashley Scruggs was four-for-four with a double. She also drove in four and scored four.

Ansley Lynch, Karli Woods, Morgan Stott and exchange student Monica Garcia-Fabuel added one hit each. In all, the Wolverines imitated the best of the famed 1927 Yankees.

Against Hendersonville on Tuesday, it was much the same, as two Bearcats hurlers had control issues. In her second-inning at-bat, Kropp worked a 3-0 count, and let a questionable pitch go by. The called strike had two effects. It made Kropp dig in harder, and gave her another swing. With a teammate on base, Kropp lofted the next pitch over the fence in left center. Appreciative teammates mobbed her as she crossed the plate.

Polk had scored four in the first inning, and added three in the second, two more in the third and four in the fourth. Scruggs held the Bearcats scoreless through the five innings necessary for the scoring rule to give Polk the win.

The game, as Polk coach Billy Alm noted, was “not a nail-biter.” He gave Amber Miller a chance to hit. Miller responded with a solid single. Two exchange students, Garcia Fabuel, and Alice Combernoux also got at-bats. Fabuel walked on four pitches. Combernoux fanned, but, by then Polk had a commanding lead, and Bearcat pitchers had mostly lost command of their offerings.

“We’re trying to change a couple of things,” Alm remarked, including his calling of pitches. “(We) need these wins to get a state tournament bid.”

“We got Spain and France in today,” Alm whimsically remarked of his exchange students on the team.

Thursday’s game against visiting Mitchell was to be the last regular-season game.