Although the preseason for Robinson Knights Baseball started off rocky, their game on September 30 was a turning point for the team. A hard-fought 7-5 victory over Hillsborough High School marked their first win of the year.
The team set the tone early behind the starting pitcher, Gavin Montera (’26), who threw four strong innings and allowed just one run. At the plate, Cason Cooper (’26), led the offense with three RBI’s, giving the team the boost they needed to beat Hillsborough.
Cooper, a three-year starter on the varsity team, has played multiple positions through the years. After holding down third base last season, he’ll primarily take over first base this year. Cooper is not officially the team captain, but he continues to take on a leadership role on and off the field.
“I couldn’t have had the game that I had without having the people on base, [and] without having people play well.” Cooper (’26) said. “It was nice to watch us as a team, kind of come together and play team baseball instead of just a game where a bunch of people are trying to get hits,”
Andrew Zimmerman (’26), TJ Maiello (’27), Collin Rosenberg (’26), and Mike Rossa (’27) all chipped in with key hits, helping to fight for the win. Carter Santos (’27) closed out the game as the pitcher, with three steady innings on the mound, securing the win and holding off Hillsborough.
Santos threw three innings on the mound, striking out four and allowing three runs on seven hits. Santos has been a starting pitcher on the JV team for the last two years, now he has moved up to the varsity team. He is likely to become an important part of the pitching rotation this season.
“I’m proud of our team. I’m hoping we can build off of this momentum. TJ Maiello (’27), shortstop for the team, said. We’ve all individually worked really hard to be where we’re at right now, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the season,”
The team believes that they have the capacity to go far this season.
“We put in the work to be better than the opposing team. Even through adversities, we found a way to bounce back,” Catcher Andrew Zimmerman (’26), said.
The team hopes to build on their progress and carry it into the spring season, setting the stage for what could be their most consistent and successful season in recent years.
