ROME, Ga. – Young Harris College collected 13 hits – three of them going for home runs – as the Mountain Lions recorded a 12-3 non-conference baseball victory over Shorter University Sunday (Feb. 9) afternoon at the Ledbetter Complex.

The Mountain Lions, who took two of three games from the Hawks, improved to 3-3 while Shorter fell to 1-6. Young Harris opens its home schedule Friday (Feb. 14) with a 3 p.m. contest against LeMoyne College at Zell B. Miller Field.

Young Harris took advantage of Shorter starter Travis McPherson's wildness in the first two innings. The Mountain Lions took a 1-0 lead as Tom Valichka, who went 3-for-5, reached on an infield single and later scored on a wild pitch.  Jack Morrow also drew a walk with the bases loaded. It was one of seven walks issued by McPherson.

The Mountain Lions added three runs in the third to open a 5-0 lead. Trey Rogers, who went 3-for-5, had a sacrifice fly and Troy Kizer had an RBI double to right in the inning.

Shorter scored a run in the bottom of third but Young Harris got it right back as Rogers homered – his first of the season – in the fourth.  The Hawks scored twice in the fourth, but Adam Moore hit the first of his two home runs – a solo shot to left field – in the fifth inning.

Young Harris put the game out of reach with a five-run sixth inning. Bowen Klosinski, who went 2-for-4, stroked a two-run single to right and Rudnik, who went 2-for-6,  had an RBI triple to right before Moore, who went 2-for-4, smashed a two-run homer to left field.

Taylor Topping (1-0) earned the win with four innings in relief for the Mountain Lions while McPherson (0-1) took the loss.