YOUNG HARRIS – Jack Morrow broke a 4-4 tie with a solo home run in the eighth inning and Tyler Isbell earned his third save as the Young Harris College baseball team took its second-straight weekend series as the Mountain Lions rallied to defeat Montreat College, 5-4, Sunday at Zell B. Miller Field.
"The team did a great job keeping the score close so we could win it late," Young Harris head coach Rick Robinson said. "James Mills and Brice Merritt did a great job out of the pen and we played great defense in the last two innings for the win."
Young Harris (9-9) won the opening game of the weekend, 11-1 in seven innings, on Friday, but dropped the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday with the Cavaliers, 4-2. The Mountain Lions bounced back with a 2-1 win in the second game, setting up a chance to win the series on Sunday.
The Cavaliers (3-8) began the scoring with a run in the top of the first off a pair of hits and took advantage of a pair of walks to plate another run in the second to grab a 2-0 advantage.
Young Harris, winners of five out of its last six games, got on the scoreboard with three runs on three hits to grab a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth.
With one down in the frame, Josh Rudnik singled to right center and advanced to second when Morrow, who went 2-for-4, ripped a base hit through the left side. Evan Carr followed with a single through the right side to plate Rudnik as Morrow advanced to third. Adam Moore drilled a sacrifice fly to center to plate Morrow, tying the game at 2 as Carr took third. Carr came in to score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
Montreat got to relief pitcher James Mills in the seventh by scoring two runs on two hits and took advantage of a pair of Mountain Lion errors to grab a 4-3 lead.
However, Young Harris answered with a run in the bottom of the frame as Trey Rogers reached on an error and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan LaRose. Mike Medori’s infield hit moved Rogers to third. Rogers scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Zach Bricknell, tying the game at 4.
With one swing of the bat, Morrow broke the 4-4 tie the following inning, with a solo homer to right, giving Young Harris its second lead of the afternoon.
The Cavaliers put two runners on with one out in the ninth, but the Mountain Lions went with closer Tyler Isbell. Isbell got Tyler Hopkins to fly out to deep right as Rogers made a spectacular diving catch to his right to hold the Young Harris lead. Then, Isbell picked up his third save when Brandon Harris flied out to left to end the game.
Travis Donahoo started for the Mountain Lions, working four innings. He gave up a pair of runs on six hits with two walks. Mills and Merritt (1-1) also pitched in relief, before turning the ball over to Isbell with one out in the ninth.
Seth Blevins worked six innings for the Cavaliers by giving up three runs on six hits, with seven strikeouts and a walk. Ryan Rhodes took the loss, pitching two innings in relief.
The Mountain Lions play a single, nine-inning game at 6:00 p.m., Monday, Feb. 28 at Zell B. Miller against Lee University. Visit http://yhcathletics.athleticsite.net/livestats/bb/xlive.htm.
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