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Robinson Scratches Way Past Middleton

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By ADAM ADKINS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 24, 2009

TAMPA - Robinson's baseball team scratched out a pair of runs in the bottom seventh inning to post a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over Middleton in a Class 5A-District 10 matchup Tuesday night at Lou Garcia Field.

The victory was the first of the season for the Knights (1-2) and the first career win for first-year Robinson coach Juan Fontela, while the Tigers dropped to 0-3.

"It's always good once we get that first win in. Hopefully we can just go with it now and build on it," Fontela said. "Hopefully now it will come much easier."

The Knights managed both seventh-inning runs on just one hit, that being a double to right off the bat of Joshua Smith that put runners on second and third with no outs after the first hitter reached on an error. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Peter Cordero followed with a sacrifice fly to center, which tied the game at 4.

Middleton then opted to load the bases again with another intentional walk, which brought pinch-hitter T.J. Tisdale to the plate. After working it to a full count, Tisdale watched ball four high, which allowed Smith to trot in with the winning run.

Robinson held an early 2-0 lead on a two-run homer by Neal Cota in the first. Middleton's Kevin Snyder hit a solo homer in the top of the second to cut the deficit in half, but the Knights pushed it back to 3-1 in the home half of the inning on Jakob Konner's RBI double.

Middleton's Andre Gunn then tied the game at 3 with a two-out, two-run single to right in the third, and the Tigers took their first lead of the game in the fourth when Eric Comstock scored on a two-out error. But the Knights managed to break through in the end.

"At the end there, we were down by one, but the guys stayed in there and battled," Fontela said. "I was proud of them the way they came back and battled."

Robinson left-hander Chris Lee earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief. Lee yielded just two hits while striking out four.

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