Robbie Tillman’s heads-up baserunning helps Columbus top Hardaway

Columbus center fielder Robbie Tillman walked to start the bottom of the sixth inning of the Blue Devils’ game against Hardaway. From that point, it was nothing but full throttle from the sophomore.

Tillman used his awareness on the base path to take advantage of several unusual plays and score the only run in Columbus’ 1-0 victory over the Hawks. Tillman’s run proved the difference in a highly competitive pitcher’s duel between Columbus’ Clayton Duncan and Hardaway’s Jonathan Manibusan which featured one hit apiece for each side.

“I didn’t hit today as good as I usually do, but I can’t give up,” said Tillman, who went 0-for-2. “If you’re not hitting well, you’ve got to find a way to get on base and get something going for your team. It was really important I slowed down, took my time, and executed.”

Once Tillman got to first base in the sixth, a pickoff throw went awry, allowing him to advance to second. The Hardaway defense then prepared for Will Ferrell to bunt, so the third baseman crept toward home plate.

Tillman recognized he had a free base ahead and took off, safely getting one step closer to scoring.

“Coach (Chad) Mathis always tells us baserunners to have good instincts on the base path and to always be looking for a free 90,” Tillman said. “Even if you don’t get a hit, you can still find a way to advance. I saw the third baseman coming in, and I knew no one was covering. I just had good instincts and took the bag.”

Before Ferrell’s at-bat was over, Tillman made his second great read. The second pitch Ferrell saw made it past the catcher and to the backstop. Tillman took off toward home, slid and scored the winning run.

“As soon as the ball got past the catcher, I knew I was in there,” Tillman said.

Only three Blue Devils reached base in the game, making Tillman’s heads-up decisions after he walked crucial in Columbus (14-10) getting the victory.

“The bat never left our shoulder, and we found a way to score a run there,” Mathis said. “We were being aggressive. We pushed on offense.”

Tillman’s trip around the bases provided the lone run in what was a fine outing for both starting pitchers.

Duncan allowed a hit in the top of the second but never looked back from that point, pitching six innings with three baserunners allowed along with five strikeouts. Duncan was taken out before the seventh for Jonathan Brand, who got the save in his inning of work.

Manibusan suffered the loss for Hardaway (8-13) but was just as sharp, striking out seven batters in six innings while also only allowing three base runners.

“I thought the pitching on both sides was really good,” Mathis said. “We’re very fortunate. I think that game could have went either way. The pitching did their job.”

Columbus and Hardaway are in the thick of a four-team race in their subregion within Region 1-4A. Mathis said he told his team before the game to not worry about the upcoming games and to just focus on getting the job done against the Hawks.

From there, it was up to someone like Tillman to understand what it would take and come through for Columbus.

“Our subregion has been as tight as ever,” Tillman said. “There were two good pitchers on the mound for both teams. It’s unlikely you’re going to have a really high-scoring game, so little things like reading a ball in the dirt, having good eye contact at the plate and getting baserunners is going to be critical if you want to win games at this point in the season.”

This story was originally published April 6, 2017 at 7:36 PM with the headline "Robbie Tillman’s heads-up baserunning helps Columbus top Hardaway."