Murphy – Three games into the 2023 slate and the Robbinsville Black Knights continue to pursue their first victory of the year.
Robbinsville (0-3) dropped a 7-2 road trip to Flip Watson Field on Monday, but head coach Brent Icenhower is hoping the battle-tested Knights are simply taking their lumps early in the season.
“I was very pleased with the effort,” Icenhower said. “We still struck out too many times, but we are making improvements.”
Indeed, Monday’s loss in the Smoky Mountain Conference might have been Robbinsville’s best showing this season. Though the Knights were fanned 10 times, they drew four walks and watched their hurler Graylen Orr toss a complete game, in which he struck out six Murphy (2-2) hopefuls.
The Dogs had opened a 3-0 lead before the Knights mustered a third-inning reply, which came when Graylen Orr drew a walk and later sprinted home on an error. Murphy spread a pair of runs across the fourth and fifth to build a 7-1 lead. Lathan Buchanan connected for a leadoff single in the sixth and would score on a two-out fielder’s choice.
John Ledford had two RBI for the Bulldogs, while Isaac Cole, Ty Laney, Cole Laney and Zack Skogen each doled out a multi-hit afternoon.
Wheels fall off
Burnsville – The Knights scored in the top of the first March 9 at Mountain Heritage, as starting pitcher Ethan Orr gave himself an early cushion by singling home Christian Phillips.
In response, the hosting Cougars scored two in the bottom of the frame to pull ahead. After an uneventful second, Mountain Heritage peppered out respective 10- and 9-run productions in the third and fourth.
Robbinsville did not score again after Ethan Orr’s first-inning RBI and were driven off Mountain Heritage’s field in five innings, 21-1. Both Cougars hurler Payce Carroll and C.J. Burleson recorded three RBIs for Mountain Heritage, while Caden Carroll posted a multi-hit game. Branson Fox crossed the plate on four different instances in the lopsided win.
The Black Knights were turned away by Payce Carroll throughout the game, with the senior pitcher striking out nine Robbinsville batters. The Knights’ defense also committed an unsightly nine errors, while Robbinsville’s pitchers plunked five Cougars batters.
The only extra-base hit for the Knights went to Lathan Buchanan, who doubled in the first.
“Maybe this game was an eye-opener,” Icenhower said. “This team honestly has a lot of potential; we just have to put it all together.”