WARREN — If you like pitching then Warren Harding was the place to be when the Raiders hosted Girard on Thursday.

Senior Carter Knupp started the game and was still on the mound when Harding recorded the final out in a 3-2 victory.

“Today was great,” Knupp said. “It’s great to pitch in front of a defensive performance like that. I can’t say enough about Airiz Coleman-Bey in centerfield. It was a no fly zone out there today. We put the ball in play, and it was just a great team win.”

The Indians grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first before the Raiders scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the second.

“We had a base running error in the first inning that cost us another run,” Girard coach Aaron Alejars said. “Every little play matters. I was hoping it wouldn’t come down to a one-run game.

“Harding played great defensively. Their centerfielder is an unbelievable athlete and a heck of a player. We didn’t play a clean inning defensively when they scored their runs.”

Senior Nate Freeland pitched a complete game and finished with six strikeouts for the Indians (7-9, 3-5).

“I liked how he came back and kept throwing pitches after that third inning,” Alejars said. “He kept us in it and gave us a chance with the tying run on second in the top of the seventh.”

Senior William List drove in two runs for the Raiders and Coleman Bey added an RBI. Will Hynes and Dominic Phillips both doubled for the Indians. Zach Ward knocked in a run.

Freeland pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth before Joe Marsco singled and stole second base in the top of seventh. However, Knupp got out of trouble with a couple of fly outs.

“Freeland pitched outstanding for Girard,” Harding coach Andrew Burnett said. “He was around the zone all day. He got us down in counts early. We battled. Anytime you can go a full game, you’re doing something right.”

Burnett didn’t mind finishing the game with four hits and only scoring in one inning.

“I don’t care how we get the win,” he said. “As long as we score a few runs. We’ve been playing good defense. Our pitchers have been great.

“That’s three games in a row that it’s been a 3-2 ballgame. We’ve won two and lost one. As long as we get a few runs, our pitchers are keeping us in it, and our defense has been playing good enough to win.”

Knupp thinks that the Raiders (7-6) can keep up their winning ways.

“We just want to keep it going,” he said. ” We’re playing really good baseball right now. If we can keep this going into conference play, we’re going to end up making a run in the tournament.”

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