Staff photo / Dan Hiner Warren G. Harding’s Gummy Hart delivers a pitch during the first inning of a game on Thursday against Niles at Waddell Park.

NILES — The table setters did their job for the Warren G. Harding baseball team on Thursday.

The Raiders got the leadoff man on in three of the first four innings – usually Khalef Freeman or Airiz Coleman Bey – and they came around to score each time. The hitting to start the order led Harding to a 12-2 win over Niles at Waddell Park.

Freeman ended the day 1 for 4 with two walks and four runs scored with an RBI. And Coleman Bey went 2 for 3 with three runs scored.

“Three out of the four games this year, when (Freeman and Coleman Bey) get on base, we win,” Harding head coach Andrew Burnett said. “They’re fast, they’re athletic, they can run well. It doesn’t take much to move ’em.”

Freeman was hit by a pitch to start the game, and Gummy Hart singled to right and stole second to get into scoring position. Jacob Borsic was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.

Corey Kuhn reached on an infield single to shortstop, driving in Freeman. Elias Johnson followed with a two-run single to center. Johnson advanced to second base on the throw to home plate.

Bryttain Fuller hit a shallow popup to behind second base, but aggressive base running by Kuhn beat the throw to home, resulting in a sacrifice fly and pushing the Raiders’ (4-1) lead to 4-0.

“Defensively, we need to clean up,” Niles head coach Joe Toth said. “I just told these guys, defensively we’re all over the place. Defensively, we need to clean it up to have a shot at doing anything this year.”

The Red Dragons (1-3) responded with one run in the bottom of the first. AJ Yost reached on a leadoff single to center, and he stole second to get into scoring position. He scored on a one-out RBI groundout to shortstop.

Similar to the opening frame, Coleman Bey was hit by a pitch to start the second. He scored on an RBI single to right by Freeman. And Freeman scored on the next at-bat via an RBI single to center by Hart.

An infield single allowed Coleman Bey to reach to start the fourth, and he stole second on the next pitch. Freeman walked to put runners on first and second, and both runners pulled off a double steal. Hart followed with a sacrifice fly, and Borsic drove in Freeman on a ground ball that resulted in a throwing error to make it 8-1 Harding.

The Raiders loaded the bases later in the inning, and Jayden Colbert drove in Borsic with an RBI single to left. And Marcellus Murillo-Lang added an RBI single to right to score Johnson and push the lead to 10-1.

“It felt great,” Freeman said. “Just coming out hot. Hopefully we keep it going.”

A sacrifice fly by Coleman Lamb got one more run on the board for Niles in the bottom of the sixth.

Hart got that run back in the seventh with a one-out RBI single to right to score Coleman Bey, and an RBI groundout from Borsic plated Freeman.

Hart drove in three, and Borsic and Johnson both had a pair of RBIs.

Hart pitched four innings in the win, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out four. Borsic took the mound in relief, pitching the final three innings for the save. Borsic gave up one run on one hit and a pair of walks, striking out three.

Brian Parsons took the loss. He gave up 10 runs – five earned – on seven hits and a walk, fanning one in 3 2/3 innings pitched.

Anthony Mymo ended the day with two of the Red Dragons’ four hits.

The Raiders have won their last two after Thursday’s game – also beating East on Wednesday. But they have a tough stretch beginning on Monday.

Harding will face Canfield on back-to-back days, and then it hosts Champion on April 12. But Burnett has liked what he’s seen out of his veteran group through the first several games of the year.

“We got leaders, and they’re leading by example,” Burnett said. “They’re that voice when it’s not going right and getting us back on track. So, so far, it’s been good.”