FLORENCE, SC – Harford Baseball opened its 2023 campaign slow out of the gates, going 1-4 on the road. The four-day trip took the Fighting Owls to South Carolina for games against Florence Darlington, Southeastern, and USC Sumter.
 
HARFORD 4 – FLORENCE DARLINGTON 5 (0-1)
Day one featured single game contests against Florence Darlington and Southeastern. Game one of 2023 was a rematch from the District championship that saw Harford through to the JUCO World Series after beating the Stingers by a score of 10-7. That game was highlighted by a grand slam from Trey Cruz to take the lead in the eighth inning. Unfortunately for Harford, no late-game heroics were mustered this time.
The Fighting Owls jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning off a two-run homer by Robert Buckley. In the second inning Dylan Perry would follow suit with a single shot of his own. Trey Cruz manufactured a run in the top of the third, beginning with a double to left field and ending with a passed ball and solid base running. However, the scoring would end there for the Fighting Owls. The bats came alive for the Stingers in the bottom of the third and continued firing into the fourth. Three doubles and a homerun would score 5 runs for Florence Darlington to Harford's 4, with no response from the visitors. Doug Marose would debut for the Fighting Owls on the mound with 4.2 innings pitched, and 23 batters faced. His outing would end with 9 hits, 3 earned runs, and 4 strikeouts. Ryan McCauley would relieve the last inning and a third with no hits, a walk, and one strikeout.
 
Box Score
 
HARFORD 12 – SOUTHEASTERN 10 (1-1)
Game two of the day, and the first contest against Southeastern, would find Harford down 9-10 late in the game after an 8-run explosion from the Rams in the bottom of the fifth. An RBI single from Robert Buckley would start the scoring for the Fighting Owls, followed by a two-RBI single from Dylan Perry in the top of the second. Harford would enter the top of the fourth up 3-2 before Rueben Livingston would be brought home on a single by Cam Trego. A double from Dylan Wyandt in the top of the seventh allowed the Fighting Owls to retake the lead 11-10 after a back and forth battle through the first five innings. Five trips to the plate for Harford would result in a hit-by-pitch throughout the contest. A homerun from Jake McCarter wrapped up the scoring in the seventh and sealed the win for the Fighting Owls. Austin Biddle got the start for Harford, tallying 7 strikeouts on the day while Paul Glenchur would be credited for the win, going two-and-a-third innings and facing 9 with 1 hit and no runs scored.
 
Box Score
 
HARFORD 2 – FLORENCE DARLINGTON 5 (1-2)
Day two of the trip featured the same single game matchups as day one. Back to face the Stingers of Florence Darlington with a vengeance, the Fighting Owls started off game three with a home run to left field by the leadoff Brody Levin. The Stingers would respond with two runs off a wild pitch and a sac fly in the bottom of the second. Starter Quinn Holt would accumulate 4 strikeouts, 1 hit, and 2 earned runs through his outing on the mound. After a drought of offense for either team, the scoring would resume in the bottom of the sixth for Florence Darlington. Matthew Haggerty now on the mound would be relieved by Christian Stevens who tidied up the final two outs of the 6^th with a strikeout and a ground out.  The Fighting Owls down 1-5 would have just half an inning to muster a rally. Singles by Rueben Livingston, Jake McCarter, and Joey Pagano would score one and bring the tying run to the plate, but as the outs accumulated that glimmer of hope quickly faded and Harford accepted its second loss of the season at the hands of Florence Darlington.
 
Box Score
 
HARFORD 2 – SOUTHEASTERN 3 (1-3)
In game four, Jake Potts took to the mound for the first time in 2023 against a primed Rams offense. Potts would allow 2 hits and no runs through the first three innings while accumulating 4 strikeouts. The Rams would score their first runs of the game in the top of the fourth, while Harford attempted to protect its 1-0 lead. The Fighting Owls were the first on the board yet again, this time on a walk drawn by Joey Pagano. With Harford trailing 1-2 into the bottom of the fourth, the Fighting Owls found themselves with bases loaded after a walk for Jake McCarter, a hit-by-pitch for Dylan Wyandt, and a single by Cam Trego. The final Harford run of the day would come from a fielder's choice created by Brody Levin to tie the game, and the inning would end with three left on base. The Rams would find their game-winning run in the top of the 7^th on an infield error. Jake Potts would end his 7-inning day with 8 strikeouts and two earned runs on 5 hits.
 
Box Score
 
HARFORD 9 – USC SUMTER 14
After a day of rest, the team traveled to Sumter, South Carolina for the final game of their tour down south. The first inning saw the teams tied at 2 after a two-run homer by Rueben Livingston. In the second inning, Cam Trego would score on a single by Peter Maldonado to put the Fighting Owls up one. The fourth inning produced a two-RBI double by Robert Buckley, followed by a Fire Ants grand slam and RBI single to put the Owls behind again 5-7. A triple from Dylan Wyandt would score Cam Trego from second and bring Harford within one in the top of the fifth. Ultimately a seven-run inning for Sumter in the bottom of the eighth would guarantee their victory, despite a 2-run homer by Jake McCarter in the top of the ninth. Seven Harford pitchers would see the mound on the day, notably Griffin Smallwood going 2 innings and facing 8 with zero hits, no runs, and a walk. Lincoln Ihler managed two earned runs on no hits, and two strikeouts in his inning pitched.
 
Box Score
 
The Fighting Owls return home for their Season Opener in Bel Air on February 23. The double header is scheduled for a 3:00 start at the Harford Sports Complex.