Roberson baseball's Caden Davidson hits grand slam to knock off Marvin Ridge in NCHSAA 4th round

ASHEVILLE – Caden Davidson knew it was gone off the bat.

With Roberson trailing by a run in the bottom of the fifth inning and the bases loaded, the senior first baseman was sitting fastball, looking to drive in the tying run that was standing 90 feet away.

On an 0-1 pitch, he got it and did more than just tie the game. Davidson blasted a grand slam over the left field fence to send the Rams to a 5-3 victory over Marvin Ridge on May 16 and onto their fourth straight 4A West regional final.

“That at-bat, I’m just like … go up and catch a barrel,” Davidson said. “Runner on third base, one out, I just got to get him in to tie it. Catch a barrel, and that’s what I did. It went farther than I wanted it to, but I’m glad.”

No. 3 Roberson (23-5) will play No. 1 Cuthbertson (25-4) in a best-of-3 regional final starting May 20. The Cavaliers will host Game 1.

Roberson’s scouting report on Marvin Ridge relief pitcher Jackson Mazur said he threw mostly offspeed pitches. But against the first batter he faced, Roberson senior JT Smith, Mazur threw fastballs.

From the on-deck circle, Davidson decided to trust his eyes and his teammate and look for a fastball at the plate.

Davidson’s fourth home run of the season brought him to 31 RBIs. After being a contact hitter as a freshman, Davidson said his physical growth has been the biggest change in his game over four years.

“I’ve gained more power,” Davidson said. “I learned I can hit the ball out of the park now, so I take some big swings early in the count.”

Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @EvanGerike.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Watch Caden Davidson's grand slam to send Roberson to 4A regional final