KOKOMO — Pat Lowrey stood in shallow right field and took a last glance at the Kokomo Municipal Stadium scoreboard.
The Harrison baseball coach was still somewhat in disbelief after Zionsville’s seven-run sixth inning was doomsday for the Raiders in an IHSAA Class 4A Regional 10-4 loss Saturday, June 6.
Lowrey celebrated a state championship as a player and got back to the final game of the season as a coach.
But not advancing past this stage of the tournament with Harrison eats at him.
And this one, with this group, he wanted really bad.
On April 14, Harrison got run ruled by Danville to drop to 2-4 in the early season. With every excuse to call it a lost season, including five seniors losing their final year to injuries or health setbacks, the Raiders instead put together a season worthy of their massive collection of talent.
“Resiliency, that’s the name of what it was all year,” junior Sammy Waggoner said. “We talked about it in the huddle (after losing to Zionsville). We were a two-win team playing bad baseball and we were just resilient. We didn’t quit fighting, and that’s a product of our amazing senior class that we have, just great leaders. You learn so much from them. Perseverance is what it was.”
On Saturday, Harrison didn’t have its best stuff.
In a Class 4A regional, that’ll get you beat more often than not. On Saturday night, four errors and that seemingly never-ending top of the sixth saw Harrison’s season end in a regional for the fifth time in six years.
“Last year, we went 10 innings and we were a hit away,” Lowrey said. “This year, we’re 3-3 in the sixth and we make a couple mistakes that we haven’t made all year. They capitalized on it. I think the difference is in the early part of the tournament, teams may not capitalize.
“Next weekend and the weekend after, really good teams like Zionsville, you make a mistake, you give them room, and they are going to take advantage of it.”
Sieger Geswein had three hits in his final game and Kaden Keys, Kendrick Pena, Waggoner along with Geswein all drove in runs, but it wasn’t enough to overcome costly and timely mistakes.
The Raiders finished 19-11 and with five sectional titles in six years, that no longer is the bar.
Harrison is still seeking its first regional title since 1998.
“We can’t control what happened now, but I know we’re going to come back and we’re going to be better,” junior shortstop Nolan Hodnett said. “When we come out here, this regional game is more than just a game. We’re definitely playing to keep playing together. Last year we fought until the end together. This year, it may not have looked like it, but I know everyone in that dugout had high hopes we could claw our way back and just do it together.”
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: ‘Resiliency’ defines Harrison baseball despite IHSAA regional loss
Reporting by Sam King, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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By Sam King, Lafayette Journal & Courier | USA TODAY Network
