WAYNESVILLE - Blake Murphy's two-run homer sparked a four-run Tuscola rally in the fourth inning as the Mountaineers handed Roberson its first loss of the season, 10-4, Wednesday in a Mountain Athletic Conference showdown at Junaluska Elementary School.
Both teams came into the game with unbeaten conference records. The Rams had been ranked atop the state 3-A coaches' poll, while the Mountaineers were listed among honorable mentions in the latest count.
With his team up 2-1, Roberson first baseman Brandon Deans mishandled a throw that allowed Tuscola's Michael Munoz to reach. Murphy, the second batter in the inning, made the Rams pay by hitting a 1-0 delivery from Ryan Stewart (2-1) some 340 feet over the fence in right-center field, his third four-bagger of the season.
Before the home run, Stewart had allowed just one hit and walked only one batter. In the 12 batters he faced afterward, he gave up three walks, another hit and hit a batter.
"Stew got rattled a little bit, started throwing up in the zone," said Murphy. "We just started hitting the ball."
The Mountaineers (5-1, 5-0) took advantage of five errors by Roberson, as three runners, including Munoz, scored after reaching on miscues.
"I just didn't have them prepared to play today," coach Tom Smith said. "They (the Mounties) have to come to our place, so we'll see if we can have them prepared."
Smith said he didn't think the cold was a factor, despite temperatures near 40 degrees by the end of the game.
Roberson (8-1, 4-1) jumped out to the early 2-0 lead after Chris Price walked, Ryan Radford took a pitch in the arm, and Bobby Hubbard doubled off the wall to score both of them.
Tuscola managed to get one back after Brian Kinder walked and scored in the third. However, a remarkable diving catch by Radford in right-center field for the third out stranded Clay Tatham on third base, preserving the Roberson lead for just another inning.
Jon Merrill (3-0) allowed four hits, three in the seventh inning. But he allowed six walks - his first six of the season.
Kenny Smith grounded into a force play at second but came around to score on Price's double to left-center in the final inning. Price scored on Bobby Hubbard's check-swing single to right for the Rams' final run. Hubbard finished with three RBI.
"That's a big play in any baseball game," coach Smith said of Murphy's shot. "And sometimes that takes a little air out of you. But we've been down before and we've come back in conference play, so we've just got to bow our necks and get the job done."
Roberson has a chance to recover at home at 4 p.m. today against MAC foe Erwin.
Tuscola coach Billy Shepherd said he expects the nine-team conference to be a battleground for three available playoff spots.
"It should come down (to between Tuscola and Roberson for the MAC title), but hey, there's a long way to go," said Shepherd, who hosts Enka today at 4 p.m. "It's just like every other sport, it's going to come down to the very last game."
Contact Alexander at 232-5837 or PAlexander@CITIZEN- TIMES.com.