Etowah led by eight after the fifth inning, but Harrison rallied to score four in the sixth and six more in the seventh to win 15-13 in a crucial Region 5AAAAA game Thursday.

The teams combined for seven home runs and 22 hits.

Etowah's James Harris was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs, including a home run. Zach Waters also had two RBIs, and Connor Gilbert was 2-for-3 with an RBI and scored two runs. Nick Singleton scored twice and had a RBI. Andrew Elson was 1-for-3, including a grand slam in the fourth. Chris Vermilya, who was 2-for-5. also had a home run.

Austin Neely led Harrison from the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored and five RBIs. Michael Hodorowski batted 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two stolen bases and scored twice. Christian Turnipseed came around to score twice. Adam Martin had two RBIs, while Matt Allen was 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored. Preston Neely had a home run, and Taylor Bowles walked three times and scored twice.

The plethora of hits was due in large part to the erratic pitching from both teams. Etowah (18-7, 13-4) combined to use six pitchers, who gave up 11 earned runs on 12 hits, while walking eight and striking out 13. Harrison (18-7, 13-4) used five hurlers, who allowed 10 earned runs on nine hits, while walking seven and striking out six.

But it was the Eagles' relievers who didn't get it done down the stretch. Starter Brandon Barker left the mound following the fifth inning with a 13-5 lead, but saw his bullpen collapse in the final two frames resulting in the no-decision. The breakdown was even more difficult for Etowah coach Greg Robinson, who gave all of the credit to Harrison for not giving up.

"The relivers have been pretty steady, but they just didn't throw strikes (Thursday)," he said. "We walked too many guys, we hit too many guys and we gave (Harrison) too many opportunities. To their credit, they took advantage of some of our errors. Those guys just came out swinging. They never quit and you should expect that from Harrison."

Etowah trailed 2-0 after the top of the second inning, but managed to tie the contest with two runs in the bottom half of the frame. The Eagles led off the third with a Caffee single and consecutive doubles from Harris, Waters and Gilbert to score four runs in the frame and take a 6-2 advantage.

The Hoyas scored twice in the fourth, but the Eagles responded in the bottom half of the frame, helped by Elson's grand-slam and Vermilya's solo shot for an 11-4 lead. Harrison scored one run in the fifth, but Harris hit a two-run shot over the right-field wall for the 13-5 advantage.

Allen's two-out, three-run homer in the sixth helped spur Harrison's big sixth inning and brought the Hoyas to within 13-9. Harrison sent 11 batters to the plate in the seventh and scored six runs on three hits. Back-to-back two-out home runs from Austin Neely and Matt Allen, coupled with three walks and two hits batsmen, gave the Hoyas the momentum it needed to earn the victory.

"Our players deserve all of the credit for this win," Harrison coach Mark Elkins said. "Things weren't looking good for us, but they didn't panic. They never quit and they put together some strong innings late in the game to put us over the top."

Harrison's win, coupled with a 7-6 loss by North Cobb to Kennesaw Mountain, has sent the region standings into a tailspin. Three teams - Etowah, Harrison and North Cobb - are all now tied for first in the region standings. Etowah is at Kennesaw Mountain today to end the regular season while Harrison hosts South Cobb.