When Hayley Kropp’s long fly ball dropped over the left field fence in last Thursday’s (April 2) varsity softball game between Polk County and Hendersonville, the Wolverines had all the runs (11) needed to win the game by the ten-run rule.

That ruling came with the score 14-0, after four and one-half innings at Columbus, as head coach Jeff Wilson’s squad moved to 11-1 overall, and 6-0 in Western Highlands Conference action.

After two and one-half frames, the Wolverines had built a 5-0 lead. In such situations, Wilson, who often plays for one run at a time, is wont to encourage his team to “turn that five into a six.” If he did, someone must have thought he said “eleven.”

Haley Fowler led off the Polk third with a bunt single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Ashley Kropp’s fly single to center. Alexis McCraw’s walk put runners on first and second, before pinch runners wound up at second and third. With one down, Kassidy Reynolds walked to load the bases. Hard-hitting Autumn Owen saw little she liked, but walked to drive in run number seven, bringing Hayley Kropp to the plate.

Kropp, a dependable hitter, not known for home runs, deposited a pitch over the fence in left for four runs with one swing. Singles by Maranda Gosnell, Ashley Kropp and Haley Fowler made it 12-0,with pinch-runner Katelyn Allison scoring. Taylor Plumley singled to make it 13-0.

A quiet end of the inning brought Hendersonville back to the plate, but they could not score off starter and winner Ashley Scruggs.

Polk scored a lone run in the fourth, before the rule book mercifully ended the game at 14-0, after the visitors’ fifth.

The day before, Polk earned an eight-inning, 5-4 win over conference-rival Madison.

The Wolverines, off this week for spring break, visit the Asheville Trailblazers on April 13, and visit Mitchell for a conference game on April 14.