LAKELAND, Fla. – Young Harris College used six extra-base hits as the Mountain Lions defeated No. 10 Florida Southern College 6-2 in the first game of a baseball doubleheader Saturday (Feb. 4) afternoon at Henley Field. It the first ranked team that Young Harris has beaten since it moved to NCAA Division II.
The Moccasins earned the split as Matt Fuglesang (1-0) tossed a three-hit complete game as Florida Southern edged Young Harris 2-1 in the nightcap.
Florida Southern improved to 2-1 while the Mountain Lions fell to 1-2. Young Harris opens up its home schedule Tuesday (Feb. 7) with a 2 p.m. contest against Tusculum College at Zell B. Miller Field.
Florida Southern took a 2-0 lead in the opener with single runs in the second and fourth innings. Austin Chubb hit a solo home run to right in the second and drove in another run in the fourth on single down the left field line.
The Mountain Lions equalized the game at 2 in the fifth on a RBI single to left by Mike Medori and Trey Rogers added a run-scoring double to right. Young Harris took the lead for good an inning later of Moccasin starter Jake Guengerich (0-1) as they scored three times.
Zack Bricknell led off with a triple down the right field line and Adam Moore followed with a walk. William Paschal's sacrifice fly to center scored Bricknell. Bowen Klosinski, who went 2-for-4, smacked a two-run homer to left – his first of the season – to end Guengerich's day and give the Mountain Lions a 5-2 lead.
Young Harris added an insurance run in the ninth as David Atwood, who went 3-for-5, doubled down the right field line to drive in Medori, who led off the inning with a walk.
Oliver Pratt (1-0) earned the winning with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief while Justin Cooper earned his first save as he pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
"The difference between yesterday and today was our hitting," said Young Harris head coach Rick Robinson. "We took the lead and then extended the lead when we had the opportunity. We had another good day on the mound with (Taylor) Topping, (Oliver) Pratt, and (Justin) Cooper. They did their jobs well."
Florida Southern scored twice with two outs in the second inning of game two off Moore (0-1), who started for the Mountain Lions, and made it stand. The Moccasins got a single from T.J. Kuban, who scored on a triple to right by Kyle Gibbs. Gibbs would score on the play on a throwing error by Brady McCarter.
Young Harris got a run back in the fourth. Bricknell singled and moved to third on Paschal's single up the middle. Bricknell scored on an error by third baseman Mike Snyder on a McCarter ground ball. Fuglesang, who struck out six, escaped further trouble as he retired the final 10 batters he faced.
