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Harrington hits second grand slam in two games, leads Warrior Run past Lancers

By CHRIS MASSE 7 min read

As Griffen Harrington approached the batter’s box, Warrior Run coach Derrick Zechman suggested seeking a line drive.

Harrington complied. And he sent one right over the fence ... Again.

Harrington blasted his second grand slam in as many games, highlighting Warrior Run’s superb two-out hitting Wednesday at Loyalsock as the Defenders won, 14-0 in five innings. Harrington homered for a fourth straight game, while James Keifer and Tyler Ulrich delivered two-out, two-run singles, helping Warrior Run (15-1, 6-1 HAC-III) win its eighth straight game and stay atop the league standings.

"Line drives for sure. That’s what you’re always aiming for. The second you try to hit a home run you’re not hitting a home run. That’s just how it is," Harrington said. "If you swing for a line drive, you’re going to see good results. It’s always nice to be able to do that for the team and it’s a big energy play; big momentum play."

It certainly was. And a batter after Landon Tillson (2 for 4) played small ball, dropping a perfectly placed RBI bunt single, Harrington came up in a near identical situation as he did Monday against Montgomery. After taking a first-pitch ball, Harrington torpedoed the next pitch well over the left field fence and put Warrior Run up, 9-0.

That capped a string of nine straight two-out Defender runs and had Loyalsock (7-8, 4-5) chasing all day after four came in the first inning. Overcoming that deficit was hard, but doing so against Landon Polcyn was especially tough as the right-hander struck out eight in four innings, combining on a three-hit shutout with Tillson.

Harrington has been on a Roy Hobbs-like rampage the last four games. The junior slugger, who has played four positions this season, is 8 for 14 during that time with the four home runs, two doubles and 15 RBIs. That brings his RBI total to a District 4-best 32.

"He’s seeing it well. He’s just a natural. He has the pop, he can hit the gaps, he has the power, and he has the speed," Zechman said. "Four games in a row is quite the company to be keeping and all have been no doubters. That’s what he’s capable of. That’s Griff."

Like a prolific running back thanking his offensive line, Harrington deflected praise toward his teammates who keep setting the table and providing him RBI opportunities. Keifer ignited that game-changing fourth inning rally with a lead-off single before Ulrich dropped a sacrifice bunt and Gavin Getz hit a two-out single. Loyalsock walked lead-off hitter Cohen Zechman to set up a force at any base and Tillson continued his sensational season, laying his bunt in no-man’s land between the pitcher’s mound and third-base line while improving to 17 of 23 over the last six games.

That set the stage for Harrington who broke the game wide open. Like the last three Harrignton home runs, it was apparent it would leave the field as soon as it came off the bat.

"It’s always big to get guys up after you. Getting guys on base for the next hitter is the focus. Without guys on base, I wouldn’t have the RBIs I have right now. I wouldn’t have hit that grand slam," Harrington said. "I need those guys on base and, as a team, we’re doing a good job getting on base. We’re seeing a lot of pitches, getting hit by pitches, walking and bunting the ball well. We’re doing everything right to get on base right now for batters to knock them in."

Keifer and Ulrich displayed that in the first inning, helping Warrior Run immediately put Loyalsock in a hole. Keifer scorched a two-run single up the middle before Ulrich followed and hit another ball up the middle, bringing in two runs.

Ulrich stayed with an outside pitch, and while he did not get much on it, he did enough to get the ball through the infield. Ulrich hit safely in his third straight game and produced three quality at-bats as well.

"James got it done with two outs and I’m just going up there with the right mindset and looking to get a base hit and get two more runs," Ulrich said. "I kind of caught it off the end there. I rounded first and said it wasn’t pretty but it worked."

Warrior Run kept making it work during two-out situations. In those crucial first and fourth innings, the Defenders went 5 for 7 after the second out was recorded. Those five hits brought in nine runs as good approaches kept generating strong results for a team which has scored at least 10 runs in four straight games.

Warrior Run consistently performed well in key spots, going 6 for 12 with runners in scoring position. In addition to that .500 average, Stone Allison hit a sacrifice fly which was a few feet from going for a grand slam. Getz drew an RBI walk and Cohen Zechman brought in another run when he was hit with a pitch.

"It’s huge. All season we’ve been preaching how we have to get our base runners in. We can’t leave runners on base. We did that well today," Ulrich said. "Everybody who was in scoring territory we got in which is huge in how the game turned out."

"You almost don’t get anything in the first inning and then two quality hits by James Keifer and Ty Ulrich and it’s a four-run lead which is big, especially since they almost got out of it," Derrick Zechman said. "Two out hits are so crucial, especially when guys are in scoring position and we did a good job with that tonight."

That left Loyalsock staring at a Mount Everest type climb, especially with Polcyn in command. Polcyn struck out at least eight for a third time in four starts before Tillson worked a perfect fifth and added another strikeout.

Polcyn has a 0.41 ERA and struck out 11 in 4 2/3 innings in his last start, so Warrior Run going up 4-0 before he took the mound was especially big. Loyalsock did put runners on base in each of the first four innings, but Polcyn responded each time, stranding six and fanning two in each inning.

"We’re playing a lot of games and you give a guy lead like that a 4-0 lead and he throws more confidently, throws to contact, gets outs and saves pitches," Harrington said. "It’s huge to get that run support."

"That’s a huge momentum changer. Being up 4-0 in the first inning is a little bit of pressure off your backs," Uirich said. "It was their senior night so they were coming out swinging with nothing to lose."

Loyalsock catcher Jaydn Wagner is one of those seniors who has helped a team with new starters throughout the lineup remain in the playoff hunt and rally from an 0-3 start. He showed why he will be playing at Elmira College next spring, displaying a hose of an arm and throwing out two runners trying to steal in the third inning.

Warrior Run 14, Loyalsock 0

Warrior Run 400 55--14 7 0

Loyalsock 000 00--0 3 2

Landon Polcyn, Landon Tillson (5), Tillson, Griff Harrington (5). Jahvon La Rosa, John Kiehl, Dolan Harman (5), Chase Wright (5) and Jaydn Wagner. W--Polcyn, (4-1). L--La Rosa.

Top Warrior Run hitters: James Keifer 2-2, BB, 2 RBIs, 3R; Tillson 2-4, 2 RBIs, R; Harrington 1-3, HR, 4 RBIs; Tyler Ulrich 1-1, BB, 2 RBIs, R; Gavin Getz 1-2, BB, RBI, 2R; Cohen Zechman 2R, RBI; Isaiah Betz RBI; Stone Allison RBI. Top Loyalsock hitters: Harman 1-2; Drake Dupont 1-2; Kiehl 1-3.

Records: Warrior Run 14-1, 6-1 HAC-III. Loyalsock 7-8, 4-5

Starting at /week.