Robbinsville – A late hiccup cost the Black Knights a playoff berth. Entering the final week of the regular season in the postseason hunt – thanks to a 4-game winning streak – Robbinsville (7-11, 4-8) could not solve the riddle that was Hiwassee Dam (7-11, 5-7), as the Eagles picked up an 8-7 win May 3, before traveling to Graham County on May 5 and defeating the Black Knights 6-3.
As a result, Robbinsville dropped outside the “bubble” of playoff contention and when the 1A brackets were released Monday, the Knights hopes of their first postseason appearance in over a decade were shelved.
“Our season had its ups and downs,” noted Robbinsville head coach Brent Icenhower. “We are disappointed in not making the playoffs.
“When I took over the program three years ago, the first goal I set was to reach the playoffs, which is something baseball hasn’t done in over a decade. But it is going to happen.”
May 5’s game was tied 2-2 until the top of the fifth, when the Eagles plated three runs. Robbinsville snatched one of those back in the home-half of the frame, but Hiwassee Dam one-upped the Knights in the sixth and held the score for the remainder.
Both Christian Phillips and Lathan Buchanan drove in runs for Robbinsville, with Buchanan and Graylen Orr each collecting two hits in the loss. Graylen and Phillips both doubled in the game, as well.
In his final varsity start, Kade Garrison handed 10 chairs to Hiwassee Dam, with Graylen making an appearance on the hill for the sixth and seventh and striking out five Eagles.
“This group of boys was a fun group to be around,” Icenhower added. “We took a loss or two that we probably shouldn’t have, but we also beat a team that – on paper – we shouldn’t beat in our season opener (Mountain Heritage).
“Building a program is a process and I believe we are on the right track. We have a lot of youth right now, so I honestly feel like that if we work hard in the off-season, we will be tough to deal with in the future.”