Published: May 05, 2009 11:51 pm �� �� ��

Right stuff

Nearly untouchable Roberts takes charge

Alex Roberts’ middle name should be “The Dominator.”

Roberts, Dalton’s sophomore pitcher who is on a remarkable run this season, has pretty much stymied every opponent he’s faced.

Take Northwest Whitfield on April 22. Roberts walked the leadoff batter and then retired 15 in a row in a no-hit gem as the Catamounts pounded the Bruins, 16-0.

And in the Cats’ doubleheader sweep of South Paulding last Thursday for the Region 7-4A championship, Roberts saved the first game — an 8-6 win — with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, then threw a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a 13-0 rout. The nightcap was shortened to six innings by the GHSA’s mercy rule.

With the region title in hand, the Cats advanced to the Class 4A state playoffs. They’ll will host Winder-Barrow on Friday in a first-round doubleheader at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m; a third game, if necessary, would be played at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Basically, Roberts has shown the ability to turn the lights out on opposing teams.

“I guess I’m in a groove,” Roberts, who is 5-0 with a sparkling 1.63 ERA, said Tuesday during the Cats’ two-hour workout. “I don’t mean to sound cocky, but things are just clicking and I’ve been dominant.”

In 38 2/3 innings and having faced 153 batters this season, the 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound right-hander has allowed just nine hits. He has struck out 60 and walked 13. Nine of the 13 runs he’s given up were earned. Opponents are hitting .066 against him, but some hitters have been able to connect solidly off Roberts. Of the nine hits he’s relinquished, four have been home runs.

“Alex has two great pitches, the fastball and curve,” senior catcher Garren Palmer said. “That curve is a pretty nasty pitch and he’s a lot better at hitting his spots with both pitches since his freshman year.”

Roberts said he relies heavily on the fastball, but doesn’t mind throwing the curve in any situation.

“The fastball is my go-to pitch and that’s true for about any pitcher,” he said. “But I can throw my curve for strikes and that’s a good pitch in high school.”

Roberts has polished his skills playing summer and fall baseball with East Cobb out of Atlanta. He’s been able to put another 6 or 7 mph on his fastball and was throwing around 88 and 89 last week while handcuffing South Paulding. He throws the curve in the 68-73 mph range and that helps him keep batters off balance. He credits East Cobb pitching coach Gary Baldwin with a lot of his progress in the last year.

“With East Cobb, we’ll play 90 or 95 games during the summer and we have a good team,” Roberts said. “We’re always playing good teams and the coaches down there really know what they’re talking about.”

Dalton coach Bobby Brotherton said Roberts’ curve stands out.

“A majority of high school hitters don’t hit a mediocre curve,” Brotherton said. “And Alex has a really good curve and that makes him tough to hit. And he’s also got an effective change.

“So, his velocity is up there, he can throw that curve in any count he wants to and he’s pretty much been in command every time out there.”

With Roberts always around the plate and working quickly, it’s easy to play defense behind him, junior second baseman Stryker Brown said.

“He throws a lot of strikes and doesn’t walk many batters,” Brown said, “and you’re always on your toes. The big difference in Alex this year is that he’s matured physically and mentally and he doesn’t have to throw max power all the time. He’s got different speeds and that makes him a tough pitcher.”

With Roberts and senior John Erwin (2.03 ERA) each at 5-0 and junior Colton Kinnamon (3.50 ERA) having won eight of 10 decisions, the Cats have a solid threesome on the mound. Throw in senior Nick Ray, who is 3-0 with a 2.69 ERA, and it’s easy to see that Dalton has an advantage over most teams with only one, or in some cases, two solid starters.

“Our pitching has been really consistent this year,” Brotherton said. “They’re pitching with a certain looseness because they’re getting a lot of run support.”

Brotherton said Kinnamon and Roberts will start against Winder-Barrow (17-8) on Friday, but just like last week the coach said he wasn’t sure at this point which pitcher would take the first game. Last week, it was Kinnamon.

“They’ll see both of them,” Brotherton said.

It doesn’t matter to Roberts which game he pitches — or if he throws in both like last week. He’s also not overly concerned about having little knowledge of Winder-Barrow’s lineup.

“I enjoy pitching against people I don’t know,” he said.

“I like seeing the best they got and seeing how I match up with them. It’s all about me showing them what I have and making them hit my pitches.”

All season long Roberts has been showing a lot without being hit much.

That’s a winning combination.

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