ASHEVILLE - When the rain was falling at the start of Friday's Mountain Athletic Conference baseball game between Roberson and Franklin, Rams starter Kory Radford resigned himself to the fact he'd be throwing in wet conditions.
But the rain clouds that hovered over Roberson's pristine baseball diamond for the first half of the game were about the only things that Radford couldn't control Friday.
He pitched a complete game three-hitter and played a key offensive role to lead the Rams, the 2000 3-A state champions, to a 3-2 victory over Franklin (7-7, 5-3), the 2001 3-A state champions.
"The weather's always something you can't control," said Radford (6-0).
The victory puts Roberson (13-1, 7-1) in sole possession of second place in the conference, ahead of third-place Franklin but behind Tuscola.
"He's been swinging the bat real well for us," said Roberson coach Tom Smith. "Then he does a great job on the mound."
Hitting in the leadoff spot, Radford got Roberson on the scoreboard in the first inning, hitting a double to right field off Franklin starter David Blanton's second pitch of the game. He came home on a Bobby Hubbard groundout.
In the fifth, Radford hit a shot that would have cleared the left-field fence, had a leaping Mark Green not made a spectacular snag.
But it was on the mound that Radford really stood out.
"He did a really good job," said Franklin coach Jeff Graham, who pointed specifically to Radford's overpowering fastball and the changeup that he mixed in to confuse the Panthers' batters.
Radford's only trouble came in the final two innings. In the sixth, he threw a pitch that skipped to backstop and allowed Mark Green to score Franklin's first run.
And in the seventh, Radford gave up a double and a single to start off the inning. But Smith kept him in, and his right-hander secured the win, allowing only one runner - Jeremy Dockery - to score on a groundout to second.
"He told me he was all right," said Smith. "I trust him like one of my own."
Franklin's Blanton was charged with the loss, despite a strong three-run, four-hit outing.
Lee Skaggs helped to spark the Rams as well. In the fourth inning, he hit a home run well beyond the 350-foot mark on the high fence in straight-away center field.
"Basically, I just got down in the count," said Skaggs of the blast. "I knew I had taken a bad swing before. . (I wanted to) just make contact because I was down in the count."
Skaggs, injured during basketball season, was cleared by doctors to throw on Wednesday. He has been a designated hitter, but said he hopes to start pitching again soon.
"The team's real excited," said Radford. "It's a big win for us."
Contact Votta at 232-5863 or at MVotta@CITIZEN- TIMES.com.
