Why escaping the 1st inning helped Roberson baseball get run-rule win in NCHSAA regional final

Roberson baseball was under pressure in the top of the first inning during Game 1 of the 4A West Regional on Tuesday. The bases were loaded and only one out.

The Rams’ starting pitcher, senior Reno Jeter, was able to get Charlotte Catholic’s Cooper Gornet to ground back to him. He threw home for the force before Roberson got the double play when the batter was called out for interference.

Pressure relieved, the No. 1 Rams (25-4) jumped on the visiting Cougars in the bottom of the first and blew open the game on the way to a 13-0 run-rule victory.

“You get out of the first inning, that top half, it’s a big relief,” Roberson coach Eric Filipek said. “You can exhale, and that’s what we look for. Every time we hang a zero in the top of the first, it allows everyone to relax.”

Roberson will take its 1-0 series lead to Charlotte Catholic on Thursday for Game 2 in the best-of-three series. The Rams will clinch a spot in the state final with a win or will play at home again Saturday in Game 3 with a loss.

Filipek said one of the few disadvantages of being the home team is taking the field in the top of the first inning, while the anxiety of the moment is still sitting with you.

It showed in the shaky top of the first. Jeter said he didn’t have his curveball, letting the No. 14 Cougars (23-9) sit on his fastball and drive the pitches. But the double play allowed the Rams to escape the jam – and relax a little, too.

“It’s big. It helps the pitcher early,” Jeter said. “You don’t have to rely on pitching, you can rely on offense more than defense.”

The offense was ready from the first pitch. Roberson tagged Duke commit Jack Hedrick for four runs in the first inning and three in the second before Charlotte Catholic went to the bullpen. The four earned runs Hedrick gave up were more than he given up all season.

“We beat a very good arm there,” Filipek said. “One of the best in the state. We did a good job from top to bottom.”

Junior Caden Davidson led the way at the plate, going 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs. His two outs were a fly ball to the warning track and a pop fly that was dropped, allowing another Roberson run to score. Junior Micah Simpson added 3 RBIs and a home run.

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Roberson scored seven runs in the first against West Forsyth in the fourth round and scored seven in the first two Tuesday to pad the lead and save Jeter’s arm for Saturday.

“We have a great brothership here,” Davidson said. “It’s a great connection, and that’s what makes us who we are as a team.”

Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.