Harding had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 1.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They had just enough and edged the Jefferson Area Falcons out 12-11. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Harding considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Khalef Freeman was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Freeman was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Carter Knupp, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-5. Another player making a difference was Jacob Borsic, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-5.
Like Harding, Jefferson Area also got a great game from a two-way player: Tate Hudson. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned run off one hit. Hudson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Hudson was even better at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Logan Saksa was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Braden Dietrich was another key contributor, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Harding's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-0. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs per game. As for Jefferson Area, they haven't won a game yet this season and fell to 0-3-1.
Harding will head out on the road to face off against McKinley at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The last three games Harding has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one. As for Jefferson Area, they will look to defend their home field on Monday against Perry at 4:30 p.m. Jefferson Area will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
