YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Stephen Branca and Jake Stone each hit two-run homers for Tennessee Wesleyan College, but the Bulldogs had to hold off a furious ninth-inning rally by Young Harris College to preserve a 5-4 baseball victory Wednesday (April 25) evening at Zell B. Miller Field.

The Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 7 in the NAIA, won their second consecutive game against the Mountain Lions in as many days and improved to 38-11. Young Harris fell to 35-12. The Mountain Lions conclude their 2012 season next week with a three-game series against King (Tenn.) College in Bristol, Tenn.

Tennessee Wesleyan took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third as Branca hit his 15th homer of the season to left field off Young Harris starter Josh Rudnik (4-4).  The Bulldogs added a run in the fifth as Anthony Biox hit his second of two triples in the game to right field to take a 3-0 lead.

Young Harris didn't have a batter reach base off Bulldog starter Zach Fleshman (4-1) until one out in the sixth when Bowen Klosinski scratched with a single up the middle. The Mountain Lions finally scored a run an inning later as Sam Tarlton, Jack Morrow and Zach Bricknell led off the seventh with back-to-back-to-back singles.

However, Stone gave Tennessee some valuable insurance runs in the eighth when he hit a two-run blast – his 11th of 2012 - to right field to give the Bulldogs a 5-1 lead.

Young Harris mounted a ninth-rally.  Moore stroked a two-run double to left-center and Tom Valichka added a bases-loaded walk to pull the Mountain Lions within a run at 5-4. Levi Dean earned his first save of the season when Tennessee Wesleyan third baseman Taylor Oldham made a game-ending stab on a Tarlton liner with the bases loaded to preserve the win.