BEL AIR, Md. – The Harford Softball team were swept by Mercer County (5-1) Tuesday evening in their home opener. The Fighting Owls were trounced 19-1 in game one before coming out on the short end of a one-run, extra-inning affair in game two.
 
Harford 1, Mercer County 19 (5)
Mercer County was relentless and capitalized on nearly all of Harford's mistakes in the opener. They raked 20 hits en route to a 19-1 win. The Vikings struck for four runs on four hits, three of which were doubles, in the first inning.
 
Bethanie Cook answered with a bang in the bottom half of the inning, blasting a solo home run to left field to put Harford on the board. It was Cook's second career home run, with her first being an inside the park home run, which she hit, coincidentally, in last season's home opener. The former lefty slap hitter left no doubt on this occasion, crushing one over the left field fence hitting right handed.
 
Unfortunately for the Fighting Owls, it would be the only hit they would be able to muster against Mercer County pitcher Kelly Tohill. The Cook home run was the only thing that separated Tohill from pitching a perfect game. She struck out seven in the outing.
 
Mercer County, leading 6-1 heading into the fifth inning, exploded for 13 runs on 10 hits and a walk. Only one of the runs were earned as the Fighting Owls committed three errors which helped open the flood gates for the Vikings.
 
Harford 3, Mercer County 4 (8)
The Fighting Owls bounced back from the drubbing they took in game one to give Mercer County all they could handle in the nightcap but were eventually beaten in extras. After sacrificing the placed runner to third and a pop out to short, Mercer County short stop Tori Carpenter drove a line drive off the glove of second baseman Allissa Lyons for a two out single, scoring the run from third.
 
The Fighting Owls were unable to reciprocate. Emily Wikane, who went 3-for-3 in the game, executed a sacrifice bunt to move the placed runner to third. But the next two batters were unable to get the runner in to tie the game up.
 
The game was evenly played with one team taking the lead only for the other to even the score the next half inning on a couple of occasions. First Harford jumped out front, taking advantage of a Mercer County miscue in the field in the bottom of the second. Wikane singled to left field and took second on a fielding error. She was sacrificed to third and scored on a groundout to first.
 
Mercer County responded in the top of the third. A leadoff single was followed by an error which put runners on second and third. The game was knotted at one on groundout to second. The Vikings went ahead by two in the fifth inning. After singling and stealing second, Bailey Ferrara was singled home by Kristen Cheesman. Laura Ghould followed with another single but was doubled off when Rachel Levach lined out to Fighting Owls pitcher Amanda Hilldebrandt. But Casey Murphy followed with a single to drive in Cheesman and give Mercer County a two-run lead.
 
The Fighting Owls answered right back in the bottom half, loading the bases with no outs. Hildebrandt drew a leadoff walk and Lindsay Fenner was hit by a pitch. Cook followed with a bunt single to load the bases. Brittany Bergquist was struck out but Julia Sanders picked her up, drawing a walk to score Hildebrandt from third and keep the bases loaded. Wikane drove in the tying run when her dying quail single fell just out of the reach of Murphy's diving effort in center. With the bases still loaded, Mercer County's defense executed a 5-2-3 double play to escape the jam.
 
Harford will hope to build on their effort in game two when they travel to CCBC Catonsville on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.