BEL AIR, Md. - Harford freshman and Anne Arundel County native Nick Freeberger singled home a pair with two outs in the eighth inning to break a 6-6 tie and give Harford a thrilling victory over rival Anne Arundel on Thursday night, 8-7.

The clutch base hit was the pivotal blow in a back-and-forth game that advanced Harford's win total to 25 overall and upped the team's conference record to 11-1.

The Fighting Owls took a 6-3 lead into the eighth inning and relief pitcher Trevor Alley (2-0) was cruising until a poorly placed fastball wound up on the other side of the left-field fence for a game-tying three-run home run.

Shane Garrett led off the bottom of the frame with a single to center and stole second base during the next at bat, opening up first base. The Pioneers intentionally walked Norm Donkin and after a double steal, Freeberger connected on a sharply hit ground ball up the middle and past a diving Jake Rich at second for the game-winner.

Donkin came in to close the door for his sixth save, albeit an interesting ninth. The conference's best closer opened the frame with a base-on-balls before striking out the Pioneers No. 3 & 4 hitters. Anne Arundel pieced together back-to-back two-out singles to score Brandon Eady, but Donkin struck out the side after setting down Forrest Lewis on four pitches.

The Fighting Owls outhit the Pioneers 11-6 but stranded 13 runners in the win, including leaving the bases loaded with no out in the seventh. Freeberger had two hits, and was joined in that category by Garrett, Donkin and Jerry Jerminski, who also had two RBIs.

Mike Torres started the game and held Anne Arundel without a hit until the fifth inning, but then hit the wall in the no decision. He set down 12 batters in a row before a one-out walk and hit-by-pitch opened the door for the Pioneers. He allowed three runs on three hits in 4.2 innings while striking out five and walking six. Alley earned the victory, his second in relief in the last six games, allowing just the one hit in 3.1 innings of work.

Harford travels to Frederick on Saturday for an MD JUCO doubleheader beginning at noon.