BY MEG FLORES

Staff Writer

After a strong performance at a preliminary robots event, Baldwin’s 11-member robotics team is feeling confident about its chances at the final Battle Bots competition at the end of April.

At Friday’s preliminary event, Baldwin won the first round when Connellsville forfeited, giving the Highlanders time to “shed” some of their robot’s weight to reach the 15-pound competition limit.

The team lost a close battle in the second round to Keystone Oaks, but the strong performance of its robot has given the team confidence, team sponsor Brad Schulte said.

“The kids are really optimistic about our performance next month,” Schulte said. “Keystone Oaks is a Top Ten team, so when they didn’t completely blow our bot out of the water, we gained some confidence. We’re looking to improve for next month because we didn’t nearly show what we’re capable of.”

The finals will be April 25-26 at California University of Pennsylvania.