Spencer Mathis
Assistant Sports Information Director
The Young Harris College baseball team has won a program best eleven games in a row, as the regular season races to a finish next week. The Mountain Lions got the brooms out this weekend in the three game Conference Carolinas series with Emmanuel University, picking up wins in game two and three on Saturday (Apr. 20) afternoon at Zell B. Miller Field in Young Harris.
The Mountain Lions advanced to 36-9 overall and 21-6 in Conference Carolinas games. Emmanuel University dropped to 27-19 overall and 15-12 in conference play. QUOTING HEAD COACH STEPHEN WAGGENER:"I am really proud of our team this weekend. Our guys competed hard and earned a huge sweep to put themselves in a good position headed into the last weekend of regular season play. We have four big in region games to prepare for this week."INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
Game One: YHC 11, Emmanuel 4
The Lions jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, scoring on doubles by Brody Campbell and Thomas Collins; Jesus Cruz hit a sacrifice fly along the way.
The Mountain Lions struck back with a six-run bottom of the second inning; Jace Wilson hit a 2 RBI double, a Steven Spell groundout scored a run, Jeremy Begora hit an RBI double, and Ethan Stamps launched a two-run homerun.
YHC added two more in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a run on an Ethan Stamps sacrifice fly, and a Jack Enrico single to go ahead 8-4.
Jackson Kemp came in to pinch hit in the sixth inning and hammered a three-run homerun into left field, as the Mountain Lions went ahead 11-4.
Ryan Cross started on the mound for YHC, going 3.2 innings, and surrendering four runs, as he picked up the victory. Dylan Beck entered the game in relief of Cross, and pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just two baserunners.
Hunter Pirkle received the loss, throwing 1.2 innings, while surrendering six runs on five hits and a walk.
Game Two: YHC 6, Emmanuel 4
The first three and a half innings were scoreless, until YHC put up three runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning, off RBI singles by Marco Colina and Jace Wilson, and an RBI double by James Basham.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Lions tied the game up at three, with an RBI double by Brock Wollin, and a two RBI double coming off the bat of Brody Campbell.
Basham would get the Mountain Lions ahead by a score in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI sacrifice fly that scored Wilson.
An error in the infield aided the Lions in picking up their fourth run to tie the game again, this time 4-4.
In the bottom of the eighth, Steven Spell drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, and the Mountain Lions fortune flipped as Basham scored on a wild pitch to put YHC out in front 6-4.
Zach Hart went 7.2 innings of strong baseball, striking out four Lions hitters, while giving up just three earned runs. Ryan Heishman picked up the win in just one out, and Dylan Beck came in to shut things down for the good guys in purple pinstripes as the Mountain Lions swept the series against Emmanuel University.
ON DECK: The Mountain Lions return to action on Tuesday (Apr. 23) as they take on Lee University in Young Harris, Georgia at 5 p.m.
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