BEL AIR, Md. – The No. 12 Harford baseball team finished their regular season with a split against Monroe (32-15). Harford (41-13) dropped game one 4-3 in extra-innings and came back to win game two 10-6.
 
Monroe 4, Harford 3, Final/8 innings
The Fighting Owls saw their comeback go all for naught in game one as they erased a two-run deficit in the sixth inning only to lose by one run in the eighth inning. It was the dreaded lead-off walk that came back to bite losing pitcher TJ Pagan (1-1). Endy Villalo tripled to right field to drive in Kidanny Cumba who drew the lead-off walk and stole second before scoring the game-winning run.
 
Jack Hamner had a big game at the plate for Harford. He went 2-for-5 with a run scored and two runs batted-in. He singled to lead off the first inning and came around to score to give Harford the lead early. In the sixth he smashed a double down the left field line, plating two to tie the game at three.
 
Ben Bomberger and Jamal Clarke also doubled in the game. Clarke doubled to left-center to score Hamner in the first. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run batted-in. Bomberger's double in the sixth put runners on second and third, setting the stage for Hamner's game-tying knock in the sixth.
 
James English (6-1) made the start for Harford and took a no-decision. He allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts over six strong innings. The two earned runs allowed came on a two-run homer by Christopher Campbell.
 
Pagan came into the game with a runner on and one out in the seventh inning. He picked off Campbell and struck out Stephen DiNicola to get out of the inning. Pagan pitched 1 2/3 innings allowing a run on a hit and a walk with three strikeouts.
 
Brian Cibula started the seventh inning and recorded an out before allowing a walk.
 
Harford 10, Monroe 6
The Fighting Owls showed some fight in game two seeing the Mustangs put up a four spot in the first inning. They answered with a run in the bottom of the inning on Brandon Smith's RBI single and Dominic DiSabatino hit a solo home run, his eighth of the season, in the second inning. Monroe catcher Jose Pena hit a home run in the third inning before the Harford offense finally found a way to string together a rally in the bottom of the inning.
 
After struggling at the plate for most of the weekend, Harford put up a pair of four spots of their own in the third and fourth innings. Bomberger and DiSabatino each hit two-run doubles in the third inning to give the Fighting Owls a 6-5 lead.
 
Villalo evened things up with an RBI triple in the fourth, his second three-bagger of the game, but over slid the bag and made a rally-killing out to end the inning for the Mustangs.
 
The Fighting Owls second four run inning of the game started off the bat of Clarke who smacked his third home run of the season. CJ Young drew a one-out walk and Clarke lined a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left-center. Max Joseph and Tanner Forry drew back-to-back walks with the bases loaded to put Harford up by the winning margin of 10-6.
 
Dalton Reed (6-0) made the start for Harford and battled through six innings to get the win. He was unfortunate to be charged with six earned runs as the four he was charged with in the first inning came as a result of some mental mistakes in the field by Harford.
 
After a leadoff triple by Villalo to begin the game, Reed induced a ground ball to short with the infield playing in. Villalo initially broke to the plate before retreating. DiSabatino had a chance to get an out either at third or first but hesitated to throw to third, resulting in no out recorded on the play. The Mustangs then executed a double steal on a pickoff to first base with both runners stealing safely.
 
Reed finished the game allowing eight hits and two walks. Ben Collincini pitched a scoreless seventh inning to finish the game, allowing just one hit.
 
It was an important win for the Fighting Owls. They finished the season losing six of their last ten games and saw their offense come down to earth somewhat. It was not only big to win but also to put some runs on the board to build some confidence heading into the business end of the season.
 
That business end begins Friday, May 8^th in Keyser, West Virginia where Harford will look to repeat as NJCAA Region XX Champions. The Fighting Owls went a combined 3-3 against the likes of host Potomac State, Chesapeake and Hagerstown, whom they will face in the three day, double-elimination tournament. Visit HarfordAthletics.com for previews, updates and more leading into and throughout the tournament.