PHILADELPHIA -- One lifelong Phillies fan left Citizens Bank Park after Friday night's game with a birthday she will never forget -- and a bat autographed by Bryce Harper was just the figurative icing on the cake.

But it almost came at a significant price.

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When Pirates rookie sensation Oneil Cruz struck out in the top of the third inning, his bat went flying out of his hands and sailed into the seats behind the first-base dugout. After clipping the top of the netting, the bat finally came to rest in the hands of Kathie Koller -- but not before glancing off her friend, Jen Mehall.

"I don't even remember," Koller said when asked to break down what happened. "I just saw the bat go flying, I think I started to duck, and then it was just right here. It was crazy."

As for Mehall, she had no injuries and was all smiles a couple innings later, but that's just the beginning of this story.

One inning later, Pirates officials came looking for Cruz's bat, since it was still in perfect condition. The fans around Koller encouraged her to keep it -- or at least negotiate a trade -- but she reluctantly turned the bat back over to the team.

The Pirates ultimately gave her one of Cruz's new batting practice bats in return, but that obviously didn't carry the same significance as the game-used lumber that Koller had caught with her own two hands.

Fortunately for her, it just so happens that she was sitting directly in front of Mickey Morandini, who spent nine seasons with the Phillies and now serves as a club ambassador. As Morandini watched the entire ordeal unfold, from the bat coming within feet of him to the brokered trade with a Pirates staffer, he got in touch with his Phillies contacts who had been watching it all on the TV broadcast.

After briefly disappearing from his seat, Morandini returned with a Phillies drawstring bag and another bat for Koller -- this one signed by Harper. It made for quite the birthday gift for a diehard fan from Reading, Pa.

So is Harper her favorite Phillie?

"It's always been Darren Daulton," Koller said, referencing referencing the three-time All-Star catcher who spent 14 seasons with the Phillies from 1983-97. "But it might have to be Harper now."

As for Morandini, he was just happy to be in the right place at the right time.

"It's pretty awesome," Morandini said. "It's been a lot of fun down here the last few innings."