photo: John Fletcher The Roberson High baseball team celebrates after beating Ashbrook, 11-6.

Roberson battles back to bounce Ashbrook from 3-A playoffs

GASTONIA - An unbelievable comeback saved an undefeated season for Roberson.

The top-ranked Rams scored nine unanswered runs to overcome a 4-0 deficit Friday in their 11-6 win over the third-ranked Ashbrook Greenwave in the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's Class 3-A baseball playoffs.

"Our bats came alive," Roberson coach Tom Smith said.

Next up for Roberson is a road game Tuesday against unranked Crest, which advanced Thursday with a 3-1 victory over unranked East Gaston.

More than 1,000 fans withstood a hot and humid evening at Ashbrook High School to watch the highly anticipated matchup between perennial powers that have combined to win the past two state championships.

The Greenwave (25-4) tagged sophomore pitcher Mitch Hefner for three runs on three hits and three walks in the first inning.

Senior center fielder Sammy Asis drew a leadoff walk to start the surge. Senior catcher Stevie Klenovic, senior pitcher Wes McCall and junior shortstop Drew Martin followed with back-to-back-to-back singles.

Back-to-back walks to senior first baseman Clay Gibson and sophomore right fielder Devin Harris one out later loaded the bases for the Greenwave, who were the defending state champions.

But a double play from senior third baseman Theo Herila to senior catcher Blair Wells to senior first baseman Tyler Radford allowed Hefner to escape the jam.

Asis smashed a solo home run over the left-center field fence in the second inning to extend Ashbrook's advantage to 4-0.

Smith had senior reliever Eric Stewart throw in the bullpen in the first inning but did not replace Hefner (4-0) until he allowed a leadoff single in the seventh inning.

"You don't know how close he was to getting the hook," Smith said of Hefner, a right-hander who threw 32 pitches in the first inning compared with 60 pitches in the next five innings. "But he made that pitch to get out of that inning. He got stronger and stronger. His teammates responded to the way he battled."

Hefner allowed six runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and four walks before he turned the pitching duties over to junior center fielder Cameron Maybin, who recorded the final three outs.

"I was getting hit pretty good," Hefner said, "but he gave me a chance to pitch. I didn't think he would leave me in there. But he did. I'm glad. It feels great to beat them. We gave them some payback from last season."

The Rams (25-0) rocked McCall, a left-hander who had pitched 37 consecutive innings without allowing a run, in the third inning to erase the deficit and take the lead.

A double by freshman shortstop Justin Jackson between a pair of walks to senior second baseman Justin Talbot and Hefner loaded the bases for junior left fielder Wesley Williams, who blasted a full-count fastball over the right field fence for a game-tying grand slam.

"He laid it in there for me," Williams said.

Herila singled, then scored from first base one out later when Asis dropped Radford's popfly and Gibson's throw to home plate missed Klenovic's mitt.

Roberson capitalized on Ashbrook's errors and added two more runs in the inning with a walk to junior left fielder Clay Roland and a pair of hits by Talbot and Jackson.

McCall (10-1) had allowed only nine runs entering the game but yielded seven in it.

"We knew we were capable of hitting him," Williams said of McCall, a UNC Greensboro signee who pitched in Ashbrook's 2- 1 playoff victory over Roberson last season. "We have hit all season."

The Rams chased junior reliever Josh Duncan in the fourth inning with two runs on a triple by Williams and a home run by Wells.

They added two more runs in the fifth inning when junior courtesy runner Brad Roland scored on a fielder's choice and Maybin crossed home plate on a double steal.

"That home run (by Williams) gave us new life," Wells said, "and we took advantage of it."

Contact Messer at 232-5837 or [email protected].