Cooper Thomas and Baylor Varner teamed on a two-hitter as Harlan advanced to the semifinals of the 13th Region All “A” Classic with a 4-1 win Monday over visiting Williamsburg.

Thomas, a freshman making his first varsity start, gave up one unearned run on two hits over 4 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and one walk. Varner earned the save as he pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings with seven strikeouts and no walks.

“Cooper Thomas did a wonderful job for us on the mound tonight.  His future is really bright.  For a freshman to come in and pitch the opening round of All “A” and only allow two hits is a testament to his composure and competitiveness,” Harlan coach Lee Freyer said. “I knew we would face Sizemore tonight from Williamsburg.  He a phenomenal pitcher.  He did a good job keeping us off balance.  That kid is a heckuva athlete, one of the more underrated athletes in the 13th.  He’s really good on the football field, too.”

Eli Freyer and Caiden Jackson had two hits each for the 3-1 Dragons. Jaxson Perry added one hit.

Varner walked and scored the Dragons’ first run on Freyer’s RBI single.

Grant Shelton walked with two outs in the second inning. Courtesy runner Beck Bryson scored on a hit by Jackson.

Freyer was hit by a pitch and scored on Perry’s two-out hit in the third inning. Perry stole second, took third on an errant throw and scored on a wild pitch.

“Offensively, Eli had a good night for us.  He hit the ball well and really gave us a boost on the base paths.  He get great jumps and tonight he capitalized on them,” Freyer said. “Caiden Jackson came through with some timely hits.  He’s been steadily improving with each game. Jake Brewer gave us a boost on the bases.  We’ve got to get Jake on base more.  When he gets on he’s always a threat to steal.”

Harlan will play at Lynn Camp on Tuesday in the All “A” Classic regional semifinals. Lynn Camp advanced with a 17-7 win over Red Bird on Monday.

“The theme of March is survive and advance, right?” Freyer said. “I’m just waiting on this team to click.  All the pieces are there, it’s just finding the right combination and right configuration.”

———

Williamsburg 000 100 0 — 1. 2. 1

Harlan 112 000 x — 4. 5. 4

Sizemore, Gobel (6) and Kleinert; Thomas, Varner (5) and Shelton. WP — Thomas 1-0. LP — Sizemore. Sv — Varner.