Black Knights 2nd in conference
Robbinsville – Every season begins with some sense of optimism.
Even if a team is the flat-out pits, there’s always a bright spot to be found. Pitching is young, but will improve with reps. We’re striking out a lot, but we’re taking good cuts at the plate. Errors are costly, but we can cut down on those.
Practice makes perfect, right?
The Robbinsville Black Knights are 13 years removed from their last playoff appearance and 11 years from a winless campaign. Last year’s team started 0-6, but caught fire and salvaged 7-13 run down the stretch.
Many of the same faces are back from last year’s program – but with one glaring difference: they want it.
The latest opponent to learn that hard lesson were the Andrews Wildcats, who quickly coughed up an early lead and never really threatened to get it back in the wake of Robbinsville’s well-rounded program. Graylen and Ethan Orr combined to strike out 12 Cats – the latter hit his third homer of the season – and the Black Knights trounced Andrews 9-1 on Loudon Orr Memorial Field.
“I tinkered with the line-up a little bit and I was having to be careful with pitching, but we didn’t give up,” said Robbinsville skipper Brent Icenhower. “We’re getting much better on the basepath, but our biggest struggle today was at the plate.
“If we don’t beat ourselves, we’ve got a chance to turn a lot of heads.”
Robbinsville is off to a 6-2 start and are currently sitting second in the Smoky Mountain Conference, with a divisional record of 4-1. Both of those splits are the best start to a Knights season in over 20 years.
What’s the difference this year, as opposed to the countless others that have donned the black and grey for a spring season on the diamond?
“I would like to say it’s all my coaching, but it isn’t. It’s these boys,” Icenhower observed. “They’re just playing really good baseball right now.”
Isaac Aguilar scored the only Andrews (1-7, 1-5) run in the top of the first, dashing home on a throwing miscue. Robbinsville undid the damage and then some in the bottom of the frame, with Quinn Jumper smacking a 2-run single to drive in Graylen Orr and Bryc Garrison. Ethan Orr later sprinted in on a misfire to first, following a dropped third strike.
The score held steady until Ethan’s long ball led off the fifth. Jumper later crossed the threshold on another Wildcats error, before Robbinsville put the game away in the sixth.
Garrison roped a 2-run double, before Ethan cemented the outcome on a grounder that brought Garrison in.
Graylen Orr got the starting nod, improving to 4-0 on the year with three innings of work and four strikeouts. Ethan took over in the fourth and delivered eight strikeouts to keep Andrews at-bay.
“These kids have really bought in,” Icenhower said. “This is my fifth year as the head coach and a lot of these boys know how I want them to do things. They’re working hard in practice and trying to stay focused.”