SUMTER, S.C. - The Harford baseball team's championship season came to an end on Saturday in a thrilling 4-3 loss to Spartanburg Methodist in the 2014 NJCAA Eastern District Championships. The Region XX Champions fought hard against the No. 6 team in the nation but fell on a wild pitch in the ninth inning.

Dalton Reed got the start and kept the potent Pioneer offense off balance. He did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and he get them guessing, forcing 12 pop-up outs in 5.2 innings of work.

In a 3-3 contest, SMC scored a run without the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. Wesley Rogers worked a four-pitch walk and went third on a pair of wild pitches. A catcher's interference and another walk loaded the bases for the power hitting first baseman. During his at bat, Rogers scampered home on a wild pitch from Ben Collincini to end the season.

Harford tied the game in back-to-back innings after falling behind 2-1. After allowing an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth, Harford knotted it up when Justin Malehorn scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Tyler Napierala. In the top of the eighth, Rob Koski beat out an infield single and stole second to set the stage for back-to-back agressive plays. With two outs, Daulton Weeks hit a hard ground ball to shortstop and Koski got in Kennard McDowell's way to allow an infield hit. Brandon Smith followed by hitting a chopper up the middle that Matt White couldn't handle at second to tie the score at 3-3.