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Robbins produces unusual Sunday in Tiger win
3/31/2008
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
Rick Sabath, Fort Hays State University head baseball coach, calls sophomore third baseman Tyler Robbins the Tigers' "most consistent hitter."
On Sunday afternoon, Robbins yielded a day a little unusual.
Helped by a strong wind that blew out to right-center, Robbins smacked two home runs, both to right-center, scored twice and drove in five runs in Fort Hays' 13-9 victory against Northwest Missouri State University.
"He is really seeing the ball well right now," head coach Rick Sabath said.
The win gave the Tigers a 3-1 series win, the first time Fort Hays has won a series this season. Fort Hays moved to 9-15 and 6-6 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
The Tigers delivered the most hits (21) and runs allowed by the Bearcats in 2008, a team that entered the series with the second-best ERA in the MIAA.
Individually, it marked arguably the best offensive day of any Tiger. Junior Dusty Washburn is the only other Fort Hays player to hit two homers in a game when he blasted a pair against Missouri Southern State University on March 20.
Robbins' five RBIs matched junior Brett Becker for the team's season-high in one game.
"When he is going like he did, he hits them like he did, just absolute missiles to right field," Sabath said. "He is a very good player."
The day extended Robbins' hitting streak to a season-high eight games and continued a strong season for the Denver native and Garden City Community College transfer. With the exception of a stretch in mid-March, Robbins has kept his season average higher than .277.
"He had a little hamstring tweak that really kind of set him back a little bit," Sabath said.
Robbins hit safely in all but three games in March and has four multi-hit games during the last seven contests.
"I just try and get comfortable in practice," Robbins said of his consistent approach. "I try to carry the same approach from practice to the games. Practice is the best time, if you can do it in practice, you can do it in the games. I just go about my business if everyday was a game."
The mentality produced a .309 average, a team-high 10 doubles and 24 RBI, the best on the Tigers, entering Sunday's game. Helped by the strong wind that Sabath called "an absolute jet stream," Robbins upped those numbers against Northwest's pitching staff.
With Fort Hays down 8-3 in the bottom of the third, Robbins started the first of two rallies that helped the Tigers win. He drove a two-run homer to right-center, the big hit in a three-run rally.
"Earlier in the game, I was hitting a lot of off-speed pitches, so I was sitting back and trying to take those to right and that worked for me, I got out in front of one a little," he said.
Robbins tacked on two insurance runs in the seven run seventh when he homered again to right-center off Northwest closer Evan Nickell.
"I was looking for a good pitch to hit," he said. "The first two games, they were throwing fastballs inside to me and going soft away and I kind of found a rhythm and I adjusted that way."
Thompson delivers
Junior right-hander Brian Thompson tossed 3Ôªø1âÑ3 innings and earned a win in the first game Saturday against Northwest. The next day, he was called upon again. With little left in the tank, Thompson delivered a terrific performance, tossing six innings (65 pitches) of one run ball and ended the series with a 2-0 record and 0.96 ERA.
Sabath said Thompson was "pretty well toasted" in the final two innings, but the right-hander closed out the contest.
"That is huge of him to step up in a big game for us," Robbins said.
Thompson, was ineffective as a starter earlier in the season, but has allowed three earned runs in 11 Ôªø1âÑ3 innings since he joined the bullpen in the last 10 days. Against Northwest, Thompson didn't try to overthrow and used a straight changeup effectively against the Bearcats.
"When he tries to throw a little bit harder, it seems to elevate the ball and when he is good, he is down in the zone and he has some good run to it," Sabath said. "He was probably overthrowing (early), 83-84 (miles an hour) where he might have been trying to throw 85 and now is throwing 81-82.
"The key for him the last two days is the ability to locate that changeup and consistently throw it for strikes and when he does that, he is very effective," he added.
Helping Fortman
Junior infielder Bret Fortman's mother, Lori Pierce, was critically injured in a house fire. Fort Hays had a donation for Pierce on "Pack the Park" night on Friday and wore "LP" in white ink on the side of their hats.
"This game is nothing compared to what he is going through," Robbins said. "We didn't even think he was going to be back with that whole situation. Just speaks to how good of person he is."
Bunts
Sabath said redshirt freshman Chase Schippers (calf) and sophomore right-hander Donnie Moore (leg) were recovering from their injuries suffered Saturday. Moore will make his next start while Schippers will miss little time. Schippers (.373 average) was held out of Sunday's game, the first contest he missed all season, for precautionary reasons and should return Tuesday against Washburn University.
The Tigers will face Washburn in a doubleheader tomorrow, the only conference road games that aren't held on the weekend. Washburn (8-11, 5-7 MIAA) split a four-game against Missouri Southern over the weekend. The Tigers won three out of four contests against the Ichabods last year.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 5/11 | Central Missouri | L 4-2 |
| BB | 5/10 | Missouri Western | W 4-3 |
| BB | 5/09 | Emporia State | L 6-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | W 17-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | L 4-3 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 15-7 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 5-4 |
| SB | 5/02 | Central Missouri | L 3-1 |
| SB | 5/02 | Missouri Western | W 3-2 |
| SB | 5/01 | Pittsburg State | W 6-0 |
