BEL AIR, Md. - The Harford softball team ended the 2016 campaign in impressive fashion, sweeping Anne Arundel on Sophomore Day behind a pair of double comeback efforts. The Fighting Owls won the opener in extra innings in walk-off fashion, 9-8, and rebounded from an early 8-0 hole to win 12-10.

Four sophomores ended their Harford careers on a high note, contributing in numerous ways to the season-ending sweep. Bethanie Cook set the Harford hits record with 94 career hits, Jazmyn Gutshall had her best doubleheader of her career, Lindsey Fenner provided the game-winning hit in the eighth inning of game one and Julia Sanders connected on her first career home run and scored the game-winning run in the opener after a heads-up base running play.

Harford 9, Anne Arundel 8 (8)
The Riverhawks took a 4-0 lead with runs in the first three innings, and after Harford rebounded with seven-straight runs, took an 8-7 advantage into the bottom of the seventh before the Fighting Owls' bats issued the dramatic comeback victory.

Anne Arundel scored twice in the first and then the Harford defense failed pitcher Amanda Hildebrandt in the next two innings, allowing an unearned run in both frames. As bad as things looked at that point for the Fighting Owls, things quickly changed in the bottom of the third when the bats erupted for four runs, hinged on the inside-the-park home run by Sanders, a three-run shot. She lined it down the leftfield line, and the Riverhawk leftfielder, who played excellent defense all night, lunged for the catch and it got by her and rolled all the way to the wall.

The Fighting Owls tacked on two more in the fourth on a two-run double by Emily Wikane and scratched one across in the fifth on Cook's record-breaking single for a 7-4 advantage. Hildebrandt, who had settled in after the rough first inning, ran into trouble in the sixth when the Riverhawks laced a pair of RBI-triples and tied the score at 7-7. Anne Arundel took the lead in the top of the seventh with some small ball. After the leadoff hitter reached and was subbed out for a pinch runner, AACC manufactured the run without another hit and Harford was forced to score once in their final at bat to extaned the contest.

Brittany Bergquist smacked a leadoff single and advanced to second on a tough play by the shortstop during Imani Gilliard's at bat. Cook's second base hit of the game loaded the bases and Gutshall tied the game with a base on balls and the game went to tie-breaker rules. With a Riverhawk starting the inning at second, Hildebrandt and the Harford D shut the door on a two-out strikeout on one of the team's hottest hitters.

In the bottom of the eighth, Sanders started at second and noticed how far the third baseman came in on Hildebrandt's first-pitch bunt attempt. On the second pitch, Sanders sprinted toward third since no one was covering the bag, setting up the dramatic final play. Fenner sent a sinking liner to rightfield, plating Sanders for the walk-off win.

Gutshall went 3-for-3 and reached base all five times with a pair of walks and Fenner, Hildebrandt and Cook each collected two hits.

Harford 12, Anne Arundel 10
The Riverhawks sent 14 batters to the plate in game two, quickly seizing momentum with an 8-0 lead before Harford had a chance to bat, but the Fighting Owls had another double comeback up their sleeves.

The Fighting Owls chipped away with two runs in the first, two runs in the second, three in the third and a pair in the fourth. Since Hildebrandt locked in after the rough first, posting three-straight zeroes, the two-run fourth gave Harford the lead 9-8. The Riverhawks scratched a pair across in the fifth, taking a 10-9 lead, but Hildebrandt and the Fighting Owls countered with a three-run fifth for the 12-10 lead. Sanders tied the game with an RBI single and Hildebrandt's two-run triple proved to be the game winner.

Harford finished the season at 12-26 with six conference victories, including winning each of its last four MD JUCO games.