Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 16, 1993 TAG: 9306160180
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Don't pitch to designated hitter Rob Robinson with two outs and the winning run on base.
Castlewood got away with it once, but the Blue Devils were burned the second time when the junior launched a missile to right that scored Eric East with the winning run as the Highlanders won the Group A state baseball semifinal game 2-1 Tuesday at Salem High School.
The Highlanders will play host to the Group A state finals against Rappahannock County on Friday. Rappahannock defeated Essex 3-1 in the other Group A semifinal.
For Robinson, it was his third winning hit in the past four games. He flied to left with the winning run on second in the seventh that sent the game to extra innings, but he wasn't about to let the game go to the 10th.
"I don't believe it," said Robinson, who was laughing and joking with the home crowd as he stepped to the plate for his clutch hit. "They were yelling at me, `No pressure.' I was laughing because I knew it would happen again."
Robinson delivered the clutch hit in the seventh that beat Honaker in the first round of the state playoffs. Before that, he beat Lebanon in the Region C semifinals with a hit in the Highlanders' final at-bat.
This was the end to a great pitching duel between Castlewood's Denny Wagner and Glenvar's Jason Anderson.
The Highlanders' left-hander, who was pitching with only two days of rest, hurled a five-hitter and struck out 12. He should have won in regulation, but an error by shortstop Tim Carroll permitted Castlewood to score an unearned run in the sixth to tie the score 1-1.
Anderson threw 123 pitches for nine innings, but used only 28 pitches from the seventh inning on. "I didn't think I'd last three innings today," said Anderson, who struggled and got no decision in the quarterfinal victory over Honaker.
"I was using more of my body in the late innings. I could have gone another inning."
Glenvar coach Larry Wood said: "He said at the beginning of the ninth he had one more. But he used only a few pitches, so if there had been a 10th, he would have pitched."
There almost was a 10th. With one out, East hit a fly ball down the right-field line that dropped between three fielders. The Highlander third baseman barely beat the throw to second for a double on a play protested by Castlewood coach Daniel Glass.
"My second baseman said he tagged him and if he tagged him, there was no way he was safe," Glass said.
After Joey Hutton flied to center, Anderson, the Highlanders' best hitter, worked Castlewood's Wagner for three balls. Then Glass ordered Anderson intentionally walked to bring Robinson up to the plate.
"I wouldn't have walked Jason to get to Rob, but Jason had popped up [twice]. I know a lot of people question me about decisions I make," Wood said.
Robinson worked the count to 3-1, then laced a Wagner pitch late on a liner to right. The throw from the outfield was far too late to make it a close play at home as East scored and Glenvar started celebrating.
"It was a lefty-right situation whereas the next hitter is right-handed," said Glass. "Besides, it was 3-0 and we didn't want to give in to Anderson."
Robinson, whose game-winner Saturday was one that looked like it might be caught until the outfielders collided, said, "This was pretty obvious that it would drop."
Wagner gave up a run in the fourth when Robinson started the rally by beating an infield hit to first. Trevor Willis' single after a sacrifice scored pinch-runner Matt Woolwine from second to make it 1-0.
The Castlewood pitcher got out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth after the first two Highlanders reached base. By the ninth, he was losing it. "I knew I was losing something off my fastball. It was gone in the eighth and ninth innings," said Wagner.
Anderson got in trouble when Castlewood's Harrington reached on the error and Ben Sharp walked. Anderson uncorked a wild pitch to put runners on second and third with no outs.
Wagner lofted a fly to right where Jason Darnall fell down making a catch by the fence. Harrington scored and Sharp raced to third.
Anderson got out of the jam, though, by catching Barry Ruff's bouncer to the mound and holding the runner at third while getting the out at first. Then he struck out Jonathan Phillips to end the inning.
Will Anderson be ready to pitch the state championship game?
"I'll be ready," he promised. \
see microfilm for box score
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.