Westviews OIBA team outhits Century 10-3 but falls short 4-1

HILLSBORO – It was just one of those days for the Robinson Construction baseball team.

Unfortunately, it was one of those lousy days and it just happened to occur in the first round of the OIBA State Tournament. Robinson, the summer team from Westview High School and winner of the Pesky Division, outhit Century 10-3 on Tuesday, but got little production from its efforts and dropped a 4-1 decision at Hare Field.

“Their pitcher was throwing curveballs, trying to sit on the outside corner and our mistake was we didn't make adjustments so I think most of (the loss) was on us,” said Robinson right fielder Jeremy Erisman, who went 2-for-4 at the plate.

“We didn't back up (pitcher Parker Kelly) today as well as we have, but sometimes you have some of those days,” added third baseman Cole Steerman, who had three hits in four at-bats and scored his team's lone run. “It's just the way it works.”

Robinson played Barlow in a must-win game in loser's bracket yesterday (Wednesday) after the Valley Times' press deadline. With a win there, Robinson would face either Sunset or Clackamas at 1 p.m. today (Thursday) at Hare Field.

Most of Robinson's trouble came in the first inning of Tuesday's contest when it gave up four unearned runs to help jumpstart Century's day. Century, which tied for second place in the Pesky Division, did its part too, opening with back-to-back hits by Sam Bates and Brad Bennett, then loading the bases when Bates beat Parker's throw to third on Tanner Cole's bunt.

Next batter Andrew Queener brought home the game's first run on a Robinson error, a second scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Chaz Stobbs, and the final two raced to the plate when Vance Hamilton doubled to right-center to make it 4-0.

Robinson, which stranded 11 runners on base during the game, saw its first scoring chance go buy the boards in the bottom of the second inning when Shane Suyama led off with a double down the left field line and Steerman followed with a bloop single over the Century first baseman's head. But Century pitcher Bennett escaped the first of several jams in short order, getting Kelly, Teagan Lind and Connor Zwetsch in order to end the threat.

Kelly settled in after that painful first frame and didn't give up another run the rest of the way, allowing just three batters per inning in each of Century's final six at-bats. Robinson's defense did its part in that stretch, with second baseman Suyama starting a double-play in the third inning, and Kelly kicking off a twin killing of his own in the sixth.

Robinson broke through for its lone run in the bottom of the fourth when Steerman chopped a single over third base, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Lind's single to right.

But there, at 4-1, is as close as Robinson would ever get. Tyler Niles and Erisman hit back-to-back singles with one out in the fifth and Kyle Cox walked to load the bases, but Bennett got the next two batters in order to keep the core at 4-1.

Robinson put two more runners aboard in the sixth – Lind reached base on an error and Zwetsch singled – but again Bennett escaped, this courtesy of two straight fly balls to center.

And finally, in the bottom of the seventh, Cox and Steerman both singled but failed to score again when Bennett ended the game with an infield pop-up.

“I've never, ever been part of a team where we've gotten 11 hits and only scored one run and the other team gets three hits and scores four runs,” Erisman said. “It's just one of those things where we have to come through in clutch situations. We've got to make adjustments and get it done.”

“With a kid throwing like that, you've got to change your approach and adjust. “You've got to hit opposite field,” Steerman added. “We did that somewhat well, but there were times we didn't and we just didn't come through when we wanted to.”

In addition to Steerman and Erisman's success at the plate, Niles, Cox, Suyama, Lind and Zwetsch had one hit each.