Cromwell Home Run Lifts Dons over Harbor 9-8

Patrick Cromwell watches as his go-ahead two-run home sails over the right field fence in the Dons 9-8 win over Los Angeles Harbor College.
Patrick Cromwell watches as his go-ahead two-run home sails over the right field fence in the Dons 9-8 win over Los Angeles Harbor College.

SANTA ANA - The Dons were forced yet again to rally late as they scored seven runs over the seventh and eighth innings to beat Los Angeles Harbor College 9-8 in a non-conference game. The win comes on the same day that the Dons (9-1) were ranked #3 in the SoCal Coaches Poll. Harbor dropped to 4-7 on the season with the loss.

After trailing 7-2 at the seventh inning stretch, the Dons put together a four-run seventh inning and a three-run eighth inning to claim their first lead of the game at 9-7. It was Patrick Cromwell's turn to deliver the late-inning heroics when he broke a 7-7 tie with a two-run home run that also scored Colin Winn.

Prior to Cromwell's home run, Winn tied the game with his RBI-single that scored Justin Mellano, who had reached on an infield single earlier in the eighth inning. The seventh inning started with Winn hitting a leadoff single before Cromwell drew a walk. Jeff Murray then singled in Winn while Cromwell also scored on the play after an error in right field. That error advanced Murray to third, where he scored from on Austin Pritchard's sacrifice fly. The seventh inning was capped off by a two-out, solo home run by Connor Braun to make the score 7-5.

Harbor had controlled the game up to that point with two runs in the first, two runs in the third, two runs in the fourth and another run in the seventh. The Seahawks also held the Dons offense to just seven hits over the first six innings with the Dons early runs scoring in the first and third innings. Murray doubled in Cromwell in the first for SAC's first run before Winn doubled in Tommy Anderson in the third inning.

On the mound, the Dons again turned to Andrew Hodges (4-0) who picked up the win after allowing one run, in the ninth inning, on three hits over two innings of work. Harbor's Jacob Waggoner (0-1) took the loss as he allowed three runs on three hits in one inning.