Capps’ homer leads Robinson in back-and-forth game at PC

Robinson junior Brady Capps sent an opposite-field home run into the woods beyond the right field wall, giving the Knights the lead for good in the sixth for a 9-8 win at Plant City. 

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

PLANT CITY – Robinson junior Brady Capps has been piecing baseballs all around the fields of Hillsborough County this season, pacing the Knights with 30-plus hits, and a .493 average. But his patient approach at the plate has also been shadowed by a thought in his head – one word: “when?”

The answer to that unspoken query came in Friday’s visit to Plant City as Capps’ “when” was answered in the sixth inning, as he smoked an 0-1 offering the opposite direction and into the trees beyond the right field wall for his first high school home run, and gave his team the lead for good in a 9-8, seesaw battle with the Raiders.

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“A home run has been a goal of mine all year,” he said. “I hadn’t been able to get one, but I trusted the work I’ve put in … (My coaches) have talked all year about that – trusting ourselves – and everything will work out, and it happened to tonight and got us the win.”

Brady Capps is greeted at the plate after his solo home run gave the Knights the lead in the sixth.

Robinson (11-11) put runners aboard in both of the first two innings, only to have the Raiders turn double-plays – including a catch-and-throw to first from right fielder Colin Pellicer, and a hot shot fielded at first by Jake Carbaugh, who stepped on the bag and threw to second for a tag out before a run could score.

Raiders 1B Jake Carbaugh waits on a throw from right fielder Colin Pellicer that would double off a Knights runner in the first inning.

Ironically, the only at-bat of the night for Capps (3-for-4) that didn’t result in a hit, the Knights backstop reached on a dropped third strike in the third inning. The scoreless game would break in the frame, as Robinson would score three runs, first on an RBI single to left by Maddox Thomas (2-for-3, two runs), and two more would score as starting pitcher Sam Hyman (2-for-3, run, three RBI) lined a hit into center.

“I’ve been struggling this season (at the plate) and I’ve been making a couple of adjustments,” Hyman said. “Right here, I was focused on hitting the ball hard. I wasn’t trying to do too much, not trying to swing for the fences, I just wanted to help my team out.”

Robinson sophomore Sam Hyman connects on his two-run single in the third inning. 

Unfortunately for Hyman, his efforts to stretch out his team’s lead would be quickly made moot, as defensive miscues behind him snowballed. A leadoff, dropped fly ball in the infield gave Plant City a spark, as Salvador Jaramillo put a perfect bunt into no-man’s land between the mound and second base, Aiden Bean walked, and Raiders starting pitcher Wellington Hehn swiped clean the bases with a double stroked into center to tie the game. Two more defensive errors put up two more runs and the Raiders held the lead.

Senior Wellington Hehn cleared the bases with a double to give Plant City a 5-3 lead in the third. 

The miscues behind him could have spiraled on the Knights sophomore, but Hyman showed impressive poise after the five-run burst, mixing a high-70s fastball and a deceptive slider well, striking out the next two batters on eight pitches.

“I was trying to control my breathing and not let anything get to me,” Hyman said. “I knew I had to play to the best of my abilities, and was confident if I did that it would work out.”

Sam Hyman pitched four innings in a no-decision, allowing two earned runs and striking out five. 

His catcher, Capps, said he wasn’t surprised at all in his sophomore teammate’s resolve in that moment.

“As an upperclassmen, you love to see things like that from an underclassmen,” Capps said of Hyman’s resilience. “Especially Sam, who has been starting on varsity since his freshman year. It’s great to see him just staying in there, keeping his composure and showing everyone that he belongs there.

“He deserves this. He kept us in this game and allowed us to come back and get the win.”

Serving as the speed-up runner for the Knights catcher, Capps, Carsyn Clack scored twice in the Knights win. 

Hyman would work through a scoreless fourth, allowing two earned runs on five hits, and finishing with five K’s.

Capps would start fifth-inning rally with a one-out double, followed by two walks, setting up RBI singles from Hyman and Angelo Rivera (2-for-4, run), before it was Rhyder Robinson’s turn to clear the bases – delivering a triple that rolled to the wall after burning the right fielder.

Knights sophomore Rhyder Robinson sneaks a peak as his bases-clearing triple sails to right field. 

Robinson, who has had an at-bat in a number of varsity games while also playing a full slate of JV games, was making just his second start of the season.

“I try to be calm and stay within myself,” he said. “I’m not trying to crush the ball, because I know a smooth swing and focusing on my mechanics leads to success.”

Raiders senior catcher Aiden Bean collects a throw from Brenham Hay and tags out a runner trying to score in the fifth inning.

A close call went the Raiders way at the plate as Brenham Hay (1-for-3, two runs) fielded a ball cleanly at second and fired home to Bean, who dropped down a tag for an out call from the home-plate ump, followed by a strikeout from Raiders freshman lefty Hunter Carbaugh.

Plant City freshman Hunter Carbaugh pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on four hits and took a tough loss on the mound.

The two outs proved a spark for Plant City (8-13), as the Raiders erased another deficit in its home-half as Logan Teeden’s ground ball single scored one and Pellicer doubled in a pair to again tie the game.

A crucial sac bunt from Judah Bendorf helped spark a three-run Raiders rally in the fifth.

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Plant City senior Colin Pellicer is fired up after driving in a pair of runs with a double to tie the game in the fifth inning.

Though it proved to be enough, Capps’ one-out home run looked like it might spark another crooked-number inning for the Knights, as Thomas followed immediately with a double and took third on an error. But Bean recovered a wild pitch, flipped a toss to Carbaugh covering the plate to prevent a second run in the inning, and followed that with a fly-ball out.

Sophomore reliever Santiago Rojas worked a 1-2-3 home-sixth for the Knights, and wiggled out of trouble in the seventh stranding two runners aboard to earn the save.

Robinson RHP Santiago Rojas held Plant City to a single hit, striking out a pair in his two-inning, scoreless relief outing to earn a save.

With two challenges ahead in the final week of the regular season (home against Sumner on Tuesday and a Friday trip to Newsome), coming out on top of a competitive game is just the kind of late-season challenge a young Robinson squad hopes will prepare them for the postseason.

“This shows us we can complete,” Capps said. “We’ve played games this season against teams, who may not have been as good as (Plant City), and we’ve given up on ourselves, or have fallen apart. I think we did a really good job tonight of playing our game, knowing we are capable of winning, and trusting ourselves to get the job done.”

Raiders shortstop Lane Baxter settles under a pop up in the seventh inning. 

Plant City has an equally tough week ahead, when the Raiders visit Plant (Tuesday) and Gaither (Thursday) to close out the regular season.

Maddox Thomas hauls in the game-ending fly ball to seal Robinson’s win on the road at Plant City.

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Robinson 9, Plant City 8

R 003|051|0 – |9|12|3
P 005|030|0 – |8|10|3
W – Hardin; L – H. Carbaugh; S – Rojas
2B – Capps, Thomas (R); Bean 2, Hehn, Pellicer (P); 3B – Robinson (R); HR – Capps (R). Records – R (11-11); P (8-13).

Knights catcher Brady Capps hustles deep into foul territory to catch a pop fly for an out in the first inning. 

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