Knights senior mows down 10
Rosman – Over the course of 101 pitches, Graylen Orr dazzled, danced and hoodwinked the Rosman Tigers (0-4).
The hosts ultimately mustered just three hits in response to the Black Knights senior, who fanned 10 in a complete-game effort. Robbinsville (1-2, 0-1) used its offense to cement a 7-0 victory Friday in Transylvania County.
“I couldn’t have asked for any better performance, other than we still struck out too much,” said Knights head coach Brent Icenhower. “We were clicking on all cylinders and having fun. We also cleaned up some mistakes from our season opener.”
The game was scoreless until the Knights posted four in the top of the third. Robbinsville polished off the win by adding three more in the seventh for insurance.
Tytan Teesateskie collected three RBIs on two hits, which included a double. Ethan Orr also posted a multi-hit showing, collecting an RBI of his own. Quinn Jumper and Dayne Webster were also credited with RBIs; Bryc Garrison and Graylen Orr each singled in the game.
Devils win duel
Robbinsville – Entering the top of the fourth inning Monday, it seemed the Smoky Mountain Conference opener was destined to be a pitcher’s duel.
Robbinsville’s Ethan Orr and Swain County’s Bradyn Ruias – both seniors – had silenced any offense to that point. The opposing hurlers had delivered four strikeouts each and surrendered two hits apiece. Orr had issued a pair of free passes in the second, but escaped the segment unscathed; the Maroon Devils had to gun down sophomore outfielder Tyler Martinez at the plate on a third-inning double off the bat of Graylen Orr.
But Ethan Orr’s second trip through the order was a much-bumpier heat to clear. Before he could reach a checkpoint, Swain County (2-1, 1-0) had taken four walks and a pair of 2-run hits to place four on the scoreboard.
The proverbial wheels fell off from there. Ethan’s afternoon ended after slipping into a 6-0 hole in the fifth; relievers Jumper and Garrison struggled to locate the zone in the sixth and seventh, while Robbinsville’s defense crumpled down the stretch in a 19-7, divisional-opening loss.
“We started out playing really good, but just lost our focus,” Icenhower said. “I saw some really bright spots from several players. We are putting the ball in play; we’re just not finding any holes at the right time.”
The Knights simply kept things alive in response, as Luke Lovin scurried home on a fifth-inning error and Teesateskie scored on a sixth-inning double play. The visitors hit Robbinsville with an 8-run seventh, but the Black Knights still managed to score five runs before the final out was posted – ironically enough, on a litany of throwing and miscues from Swain County in the bottom of the seventh.
All told, the programs combined for 14 errors in the game; the Devils had seven in the final frame alone.
“Offensively, I’m happy where we are this early in the season,” added Icenhower. “We have got to get better defensively and on the basepath. We have got to keep our focus.
“Once we can get it all put together, I feel we will be hard for anyone to handle.”