Box Score
BEL AIR, Md.—Sophomore Mike Krider's (State College, Pa./State College) second home run in as many games and consecutive at-bats gave the Harford baseball team all it needed as the Fighting Owls (25-5, 12-3 MDJUCO) won their 18th straight with an 8-3 decision over MDJUCO-rival CCBC-Catonsville on Tuesday night at Harford Baseball Field.
Krider tallied a three-run bomb in his final at-bat of game two against Montgomery College-Germantown and then notched a grand slam in his first chance at the plate against the Cardinals (21-7, 10-4 MDJUCO).
Krider went 2-for-4 on the night with a run, a double, a home run and six RBI, while freshman Alex Riley (Newark, Del./A.I. Dupont/Wesley) led Harford, going 4-for-5 with three runs and a triple. Sophomore Joe Harbach (Abingdon, Md./Edgewood) (1-2) picked up his first win in his first start of the season, giving up just two runs on six hits, while fanning seven batters in six innings. Harbach was also a perfect 3-for-3 on the night with two runs scored, an RBI, a sac fly and a stolen base.
On the Cardinal side, Justin Robey led the way, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored and tallying the only extra-base hit, a double, for Catonsville, while Austin Poretz was tabbed with the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out four over three innings.
Harford wasted no time at the plate as the first three batters singled to reach base and load the bases for Krider who knocked one out of the park to give the Owls a 4-0 lead in the first and would capitalize on a wild pitch in the second for a five-run advantage.
The Cardinals got on the board in the third off Brett Bowers RBI single, but wouldn't score again until the fifth as Bowers notched another RBI, this time from a fielder's choice. Harford took a three-run lead, 5-2, into the bottom of the fifth and added two more on Krider's two-run RBI double to all but seal the win.
The Owls tacked on one more run in the sixth with Harbach's sacrifice fly and Catonsville added one in the eighth on the way to the 8-3 Harford victory.
The Fighting Owls return to action on Thursday when they travel to Anne Arundel for a 3:00 p.m. game before hosting Gloucester on Friday and No. 5 Frederick on Saturday.
