There are no weary bats in Alonso and Robinson's matchup, with the Ravens eking out an 11-9 win.
By SCOTT PURKS, Times Staff Writer
Published April 2, 2006
TAMPA - Alonso visited Robinson on Saturday, which made for a bit of a tough afternoon considering both teams finished playing games almost less than 12 hours earlier.
Alonso was probably feeling a little better, however, because the Ravens beat East Bay 6-1 Friday night. Robinson, meantime, had to battle through the hangover of losing 5-4 at Hillsborough, which scored two runs in its final at-bat.
"Yes, that was tough," Robinson coach Sal Urso said, "But I'm proud of the way we came back (Saturday). We swung the bats and played hard."
The Knights (13-6) also used everybody, including six pitchers, because it was senior day and the battle wasn't over a district game. Alonso (10-6) followed similar suit, clearing its bench and using four pitchers.
In the end, the Ravens took the victory 11-9, but not until snuffing a final-inning threat by Robinson, which stranded men on second and third before the final hitter grounded out.
"Even though we lost I feel good about the way we bounced back (from Friday)," Urso said. "I think we're in fine mental shape."
Same goes for Alonso, which started the season 7-1 before losing five of the next six, including four by one run.
"I told my guys before the season that if you win your one-run games then you'll have a great season," coach Landy Faedo said. "We're still having a good season, but those one-run losses do hurt. Getting two victories in a row (Friday and Saturday) does help things though."
Grant Gajdosz helped ignite Alonso with a three-run homer that led to a five-run third inning.
Robinson took the lead 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth, but Alonso answered in its next at-bat with five more runs, giving the Ravens a lead they never gave up.
"It was a great day to get a lot of players a chance to play," Faedo said. "Now we can focus on getting ready for districts."
