photo: John Coutlakis Roberson's Clay Roland (24) is congratulated for the first of his two home runs against Franklin. The Rams won, 11-3 .

SKYLAND - Clay Roland is one of those success stories Roberson coach Tom Smith loves.

Once a substitute on the junior varsity team as a freshman and now a starter on the varsity team as a junior, Roland has dedicated hundreds of hours practicing and improving his batting, fielding and throwing the past two years to make himself the best baseball player he can be.

"I have worked hard every day," Roland said. "That's what it takes."

Roland hit two home runs Thursday in top-ranked Roberson's 11-3 win over Franklin on a chilly and windy evening that kept many fans away from the Mountain Athletic 3-A Conference game.

"He has been a pleasant surprise," Smith said of Roland, an outfielder who now ranks third in batting average (.486), third in home runs (two), fourth in runs (14) and fourth in RBIs (13) among his teammates.

"When kids like him have success, that makes me feel good. He is getting rewarded for his hard work."

Roland smashed a two-run shot in the third inning and added another two-run shot in the sixth inning.

"They were both perfect pitches to hit - fastballs over the middle of the plate," Roland said.

Justin Jackson also had a two-run home run for the Rams (11-0, 8-0). Theo Herila finished 3-for-4 with a RBI and three runs scored.

Cayman Brooks and Dustin Cabe each hit solo home runs for the Panthers (5-5, 4-4).

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