Resilient Knights Top Newsome For Second Straight Win
Photo K. Knowlton
February 14, 2015
“It’s a miserable night for baseball,” said head coach Kevin McCray, summing up the feelings of all who were present at Lou Garcia Field on Friday night. Though the temperature at first pitch was a frigid 48 degrees, the Knights were able to stay hot, picking up a 6-5 victory over Newsome just two nights after defeating Plant.
After allowing two runs in the second inning, Robinson found an answer in their half of the second. The deficit was cut to one when Shawn Herron (’15) and Jack White (’15) came up with back-to-back doubles. Later in the inning, Matthew Steckel (’16) continued his hot hitting with an RBI single to tie the game at two.
The Knights suffered from a sloppy top half of the fourth that saw starter Luis Feliciano (’16) relieved by Kris Terry (’17). However, the offense once again found a way to respond.
Trailing 5-2, Robinson quickly cut the Newsome lead to 5-3. Ricardo Montero (’15) then came through with an RBI double and just one batter later, Nathan Doherty (’15) tied the ballgame with an RBI single.
From there, Terry was able to hold down the Wolves through the next two innings, thanks in large part to one of the game’s pivotal moments in the fifth. With two outs and runners at first and second, Newsome’s Jared Rondeau lined a single up the middle that looked as if it would be the go-ahead RBI. Instead, Darius Autry (’15) scooped it up before delivering a one-hop throw to the plate right on target for the final out of the inning, keeping the Wolves off of the board.
Omar Maldonado (’15), pinch-hitting to lead off the bottom half of the sixth, doubled off of the wall in center field before moving up to third on a passed ball. Two batters later, Newsome’s Beau Nichols threw a wild pitch, allowing Maldonado to cross the plate for Robinson’s first lead of the night.
With a runner on first and one out in the top of the seventh, catcher Shawn McGory (’16) caught a runner stealing for the second time on the night, leaving the Knights just one out away from their second straight win. That out came just a few pitches later, when Nichols grounded out to short to end the game.
The victory, Robinson’s second straight over an 8A opponent, continued an impressive start to the season. After the game, McCray discussed what he felt was the right mindset that his team held from the start.
“It’s really encouraging. It’s just so cool to see these kids play to their capabilities,” he said. “It’s easy to lay down, ‘Oh well, we still beat Plant,’ and just fall back on that. No, we’re going out to get this game.”
Winning back-to-back games against teams like Plant and Newsome is no small task, but the schedule does no favors for the Knights. They next host the Jesuit Tigers, the defending Class 5A state champions, on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 7.