In the third game of their Southwest Prairie Conference series with Plainfield Central last week, Isaac Harris was moved from the No. 9 spot in the Joliet West batting order to No. 2. He responded by going 3 for 3.

He remained in the same spot for this week’s series against Joliet Central, going 2 for 4 and 0 for 2 in two wins in the first two games - both Tiger wins - heading into Thursday’s regular-season finale.

Harris went 4 for 4 and scored four times as the Tigers picked up an 8-1 win to finish the regular season with a record of 23-12-1 overall and 12-4 in the conference. As a No. 2 hitter, he is now 9 for 13 (.692).

“Today, the focus for us was to get this win so we could still be in the conference race,” Harris said. “We need some help, but we took care of what we had to take care of.

“On a day like this with the wind blowing in, you aren’t going to hit the ball out of the park, so I just concentrated on hitting it hard on the ground some place.”

Harris, who also stole two bases, was in the middle of a first-inning rally that gave winning pitcher Keegan Schwarting all he needed.

Daniel Lukancic led off the bottom of the first by getting hit by a pitch and Harris followed with his first of four singles. A walk to Sean Hogan loaded the bases before a wild pitch scored Lukancic. After Henry Young walked, Brayden Myers followed with a two-run single for a 3-0 lead.

It was all Schwarting the rest of the way, as the senior righty was able to pound the strike zone. He struck out 10 in a five-hitter, allowing just an earned run in the third inning on an RBI double by losing pitcher Gilberto Garcia.

Schwarting threw 92 pitches in seven innings, 70 of which were strikes. He was helped by a pair of inning-ending double plays on grounders to Lukancic at short. On the first, Lukancic flipped to Bobby Malinowski at second, who made a perfect turn and relay throw to first. On the second, Lukancic was moving toward second as he fielded it, so he continued to tag the bag and throw to first.

“It’s a lot easier to pitch when you are ahead in the count, so that’s what I try to do,” Schwarting said. “I know my defense is going to make the plays behind me, so I feel like I can throw strikes and let the other team hit it because I know the defense is behind me.

“We took care of what we could take care of today. Now, we hope we can continue to ride this momentum into the playoffs next week.”

After Garcia allowed the three runs in the first inning, he settled in nicely and had a stretch of seven hitters retired in a row before the Tigers tacked on three runs in the fifth, highlighted by an RBI double by Michael Murphy.

“The final score makes the game look a lot worse than it was,” Central coach Miguel Silva said. “Gilberto got in trouble early, but he settled down and kept us in it. He has been great this year. He gives a chance to win. He’s a competitor and he attacks the strike zone.

“There is no quit in our guys. They have done a great job all season. They have bought in and continue to go out and compete every day. They come out every day and give it their best shot, and that’s all we can ask.”