Box Score
BALTIMORE—Freshman Joe Harbach (Abingdon, Md./Edgewood) gave up just one earned run and pitched a nine-inning, complete-game win as the Harford baseball team downed CCBC-Essex, 6-2, on Tuesday in Baltimore, Md.
Harbach (3-2) allowed just two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out six in nine innings of work to pick up his third win of the season, while freshman Ryan Schaeffer (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) led the Fighting Owls (22-17, 12-11 MDJUCO), going 3-for-4 on the day with three runs scored, two RBI and a triple.
Matt Wilson was the only player for the Knights (15-19, 9-12 MDJUCO) to tally a multiple-hit game as he went 2-for-4 with one run scored. Greg Ross (5-2) was tabbed with the loss after giving up six runs (four earned) on eight hits while walking five and fanning five batters in 5.2 innings pitched.
Harford jumped onto the board in the second with a two-run RBI triple from Schaeffer and a wild pitch by Ross that allowed him to cross the plate to give the Owls a 3-0 lead.
They would add to their advantage in the fourth with two runs off an RBI single by freshman Willie Barnola (Barquisimeto, Venezuela/UEC J.G. Bastidas) and an Essex error on the same play to take a 5-0 lead.
Harford would tack on one more run in the sixth as Schaeffer scored on another Knight error, also coming during Barnola's chance at the plate.
Essex would threaten in the sixth, which saw a lead-off double by Van Johnson and after a fielder's choice and another double, the Knights would see men in scoring position with just one out on the board. Jeff Bihy would bring one run in with a groundout RBI, but Harbach would get out of inning with just one earned run after notching another groundout to end the inning.
The ninth saw one man on for Essex with one out before a fielder's choice with an error on the play resulted in one out, but also allowed Charlie Ziolkowski to reach second. He would score on another Harford error during the next at-bat, a passed ball would advance the runner to third and a walk would put men on first and third before a foul fly out completed the inning and gave Harbach and the Owls the 6-2 win.
The Fighting Owls return to action on Wednesday, when they host Essex for a 4:00 p.m. continuation of their contest from March 26, which the Knights lead 10-0 with one out in the top of the second.
