Harris, a College of Charleston signee, pitched a complete game with 12 strikeouts, two hits and one hit batter.
“He was our difference maker today,” Woodland coach Corey Gochee said of Harris, who also went 1 for 3 from the plate. “He threw a lot of strikes and commanded the zone.”
Harris’ homer came in the bottom of the third, and the Wildcats added two more runs in the seventh.
Tyler Stringer had a hit in the final inning, and Mason Robinson laid down a bunt for a hit, inducing Wolves’ error to score Stringer. Robinson ended up on third base and scored on Seth Gunter’s sacrifice fly.
Gochee noted his team’s defense in the shutout win. Woodland, he said, allowed a base runner — a hit batter — in the first inning and after the runner stole second and went to third on an errant throw, the Wildcats got out of the jam unharmed.
“We actually turned a double play with a man on third on a line drive,” Gochee said.
In the sixth inning, Woodland again played solid defense, not allowing a Rome run even after the Wolves put two runners on the bases.
It may have to be the winning formula for the Wildcats, who aren’t lighting up the scoreboard at the moment.
“Right now, we’re very productive at the plate,” Gochee said of his team, which had four hits, including one from Camden McGill.
Still, Woodland (10-10, 7-8 Region 7-AAAA) sits two games out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the region, and its coach knows time is of the essence.
“We’re getting late into the season,” Gochee acknowledged. “We gotta worry about what we can control, and that’s win our next game.”
The Wildcats take on host Creekview Friday at 5:55 p.m. The Grizzlies, currently in fourth place in the region, are one of the teams Woodland is chasing.
“We can’t worry about those teams at the top,” Gochee said. “It’s just a matter of us taking care of business.”