GREENVILLE, Tenn. — The Eastfield Harvester Bees lost to the Gloucester Roadrunners 15-7 today at Pioneer Park, finishing as national runner-up in the NJCAA Division III World Series for the second year in a row.

It was a close game throughout the first five innings, with both teams trading the lead during the fourth. However, Gloucester scored six runs over the sixth and seventh innings to win the championship. 

Ryan Dickey (9-3) was the losing pitcher giving up seven hits and five runs.

“They hit the ball very well,” Dickey said. “I was on the mound for two and one third innings  and I was hitting every spot. They were just hitting it where we weren’t so they scored a lot.”

Hunter O’Shea and Cade Conway were both 2-for-4 with two RBI each to lead the Harvester’s offense. Manny Moore was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, while Gus Witt, River Curs and Griffin Tarter contributed two hits each.

“Gloucester just hit and we didn’t hit when we needed to,” Moore said. “We had some opportunities early in the game, but we had a couple mistakes.”

Gloucester had 19 hits off five different Eastfield pitchers. 

“They’re putting pressure and they’re hitting the ball constantly,” Moore said. “They were pretty much a mirror image of what we do and they just came out on top.”

Coach Michael Martin said he has a positive impression of the season. The Harvester Bees won their second straight district championship title and finished their season with a 48-13 record.

“Those guys did everything that we’ve asked them to do all year long,” he said. “They put their hearts and souls into this season, and to come up a little bit short is heartbreaking. To play for a national championship and put yourself in that position, you’ve done a lot of things right, and I’m proud of our guys for sure.”

Cade Conway was named the hitter of the tournament after the game while Kyson Snelson, Gus Witt and Jayden Morgan were named to the all-tournament team.

“It’s been a team effort all year long,” Martin said. “That’s what we build our team around, that team concept and picking each other up. It’s definitely a team effort and those guys went out there and did it today with the same approach.