NORTH EAST, Md. - The No. 16 Harford baseball team (42-12) jumped out to a 7-1 lead and held off a late Cecil (35-20) rally to win the regular season finale, 7-5, on Tuesday.

It was a perfect tuneup for this weekend's Region XX Championships for the topseeded Fighting Owls. Freshman Norm Donkin slugged a three-run home run in the first inning and struck out the only batter he faced in a hectic ninth inning for his sixth save of the season.

Sophomore Taylor Nelson (5-2) earned the win, pitching three innings, alowing one unearned run on four hits while striking out two and walking none. The next four Harford relievers, Brandon Franke, Taylor Nace, RJ Heinlen and Jade Wilson, combined for five innings of scoreless baseball.

Leading 7-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the Seahawks mounted a comeback, scoring four runs, but Donkin struck out cleanup hitter Morgan Barger to end the game.

Donkin went 2-for-4 with his fifth home run of the year, and third in the last four games. He added four RBIs to give him 47 on the season. Jon McAllister, Matt Petrizzi, James Wilson, Bobby Kohl and Cory Shaver each had two hits in the win.

The Fighting Owls travel as the No. 1 seed to the Region XX Championships on Friday against No. 4 Potomac State.