Warrior Run requested the baseball be returned following Griff Harrington collecting his 100th carer hit Monday afternoon.

Someone just had to find it first.

Harrington could not have scripted a better moment for his 100th hit, walloping a go-ahead, two-run home run fifth inning home run seemingly into orbit at Loyalsock. The senior pitcher/infielder added an RBI double two innings later and Warrior Run rallied for a hard-fought 7-5 win. James Keifer threw 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief; Jackson Bowers smashed a two-run triple and Warrior Run (13-4, 7-2) tied Mifflinburg for first in the HAC-III with one league game remaining.

“That was a great feeling, especially for my 100th,” Harrington said after also earning the win with nine strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. “We’ve been playing these same core group of guys since we were 12 years old. It was huge to get that sweep and stay on top of things. Right now is where we want to start snowballing these wins and making a good push toward the end of the year.”

Warrior Run has overcome a myriad of costly injuries and adversity to control its league championship destiny. Monday, it overcame a vastly improved Loyalsock squad and a 5-4 deficit. The Lancers (6-9, 3-6) stormed back from a 4-0 hole, scoring four runs in the third and going up, 5-4 on Kayden Keefer’s fourth inning RBI single.

Harrington, headed for West Chester, gave up the lead on the mound, but embraced the next pitch mentality which has enabled Warrior Run to keep moving forward despite being dealt rough hands. So, after taking a punch, Harrington hit back.

In a monstrous way.

Collin Brandt (1 for 2, 2 runs) ignited a fifth inning rally with a lead-off single and one pitch later, Harrington joined an exclusive club while hitting one of the farthest drives at Loyalsock this season. Teeing off on a first-pitch fastball, Harrington crushed a towering drive well over the left field fence and Warrior Run led, 6-5.

“I got the pitch I was looking for, and I used it and took advantage of the opportunity. We needed that push right there, down 5-4. That’s a huge moment,” Harrington said. “Collin Brandt had a good night and Colin getting on base was huge because that’s not as big an impact play there if he’s not on base.”

“Griff comes up and gives us the shot of energy we needed. We were in trouble there and then he comes through,” Warrior Run coach Derrick Zechman said. “It was a blast. As soon as he hit, I knew it was gone.”

Harrington is having another strong season, hitting .408 and reaching both 98 career RBIs and runs. Still, he was in a bit of funk entering Monday’s game. He broke out in a big way, starting with a Texas League second inning single which fanned the flames before homering and scorching a clutch seventh inning RBI double which made it, 7-5.

That insurance run proved critical when Loyalsock put a runner on first with one out in the seventh and had the tying runner at the plate twice. Unfazed, Keifer induced a fielder’s choice to shortstop Cohen Zechman before sealing the win with his third strikeout.

“I feel like I’ve been down a little bit and the constant encouragement these guys give me and having the coaching staff in my corner helps so much,” Harrington said. “I have so much faith in these guys to get on base and I try to get on base for them. That’s our biggest thing right now; trying to get the next guy up and everyone is playing together and for each other.”

It took that collective effort to fight off a determined Loyalsock team which lost 15-0 at Warrior Run a few weeks earlier. When the Defenders scored four first inning runs, three following a two-out error, Loyalsock could have felt like history was repeating itself.

Instead, the Lancers flipped the script and charged back. Three days after turning a five-run, fifth inning deficit into a 10-7 win against Jersey Shore, Loyalsock received a string of timely hits in the third and fourth innings, as well as gutsy pitching by freshman Parker Frederick to take a fourth inning lead. It was not the result a team on the playoff bubble was hoping for, but the performance still spoke volumes about where Loyalsock has come and where it could go.

“We said Friday that I don’t know if it’s a program changer, but it feels like we’re going in the right direction and I still feel that way right now,” Loyalsock coach Mike Frederick said. “It’s hard to not be disappointed because of what we’re fighting for and where we’re at, but it’s also equally as hard not to be excited about the growth that I’ve seen.”

That was evident in the third inning when Loyalsock mounted a four-run, two-out rally and tied the game, 4-4. Harrington had been cruising but a dropped third strike opened the door and Brecken Gusick started kicking it down, putting together a tremendous 11-pitch at-bat and rocking an RBI double toward the left field fence.

Jahvon LaRosa followed with an RBI single, Drake Dupont walked and Bennett Singer torpedoed a game-tying, two-run double. An inning later, Connor Phillips and Jacob Baylor started the inning with singles and Keefer brilliantly executed a hit and run, giving Loyalsock the lead.

Parker Frederick matched the timely hitting with strong pitching, scattering four hits in six innings and striking out five. The freshman has been unable to swing because of a back injury, but was dialed in on the mound, allowing just on earned run in the first four innings, while showing that his future may be as bright the sun which draped the field.

“I was super proud of the way he showed up and tried to hang in for the seniors and the way they did for him, too,” Mike Frederick said. “It was a fun game. I wish it would have turned out better for them, but the message was I’m super proud of them and I’m super proud of where we came from, but at the same time, it’s ultimately disappointing and that’s tough.”

Bowers is another exciting freshman who left a big imprint on the game. The catcher highlighted Warrior Run’s four-run first inning when he pounded a two-out, two-run triple to right-center field. Cohen Zechman sparked that rally with a lead-off walk and did the same in the seventh when Brandt moved him into scoring position with a bunt and Harrington hit his RBI double.

Second baseman Lucas Goff made one of the game’s biggest plays in the fifth inning. Nolan Rall hit a one-out single and Loyalsock again went for the hit and run. Carter Cowden did his job well and scorched a grounder up the middle, but Goff was in the right place at the right time, stopped the ball, stepped on second and threw to Logan Stevenson to complete the inning-ending double play.

“Lucas stepped up and did a great job and that was a huge play,” Derrick Zechman said. “And James came in and did what James has been doing all year. We were hoping we didn’t have to use him but we’re down to crunch time and we needed that win.”

Warrior Run 400 020 1–7 5 1

Loyalsock 004 100 0–5 8 3

Griff Harrington, James Keifer (5) and Jackson Bowers. Parker Frederick, Drake Dupont (7) and Bennett Singer. W–Harrington. L–Frederick. SV–Keifer.

Top Warrior Run hitters: Harrington 3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBIs, R; Bowers 1-3, 3B, 2 RBIs; Colin Brandt 1-2, 2R; Cohen Zechman 2 BB, 2R. Top Loyalsock hitters: Jahvon LaRosa 2-3, BB, RBI; Brecken Gusick 1-3, 2B, RBI, R; Singer 1-4, 2B, 2 RBIs; Nolan Rall 1-3; Connor Phillips 1-3, R; Jacob Baylor 1-3; Kayden Keefer 1-4, RBI.

Records: Warrior Run 13-4, 7-2 HAC-III. Loyalsock 6-9, 3-6.