YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Young Harris College used three big scoring innings as the Mountain Lions completed the sweep of Armstrong Atlantic State University with a 19-7 Peach Belt Conference baseball victory Sunday (March 23) afternoon at Zell B. Miller Field.

The Mountain Lions won their fourth consecutive game as they improved to 16-15 overall and to 6-9 in the Peach Belt while Pirates fell to 15-11 and 7-8. Young Harris returns to the field Tuesday (March 25) with a 5 p.m. non-conference home contest against Brevard College. The 19 runs are the most scored by Young Harris this season.

Armstrong scored two runs in the first and added another in the second inning before the Mountain Lions scored six runs – four unearned – in their half of the second to open up a 6-3 lead. Spencer Thomas drew a bases-loaded walk and Tom Valichka added a RBI single; however, the big play came when the Pirates dropped a fly ball that allowed three runs to score.

The Pirates got within 6-4 when Clayton Miller, who went 3-for-6, added a RBI fielder's choice in the fifth, but the Mountain Lions struck back in their half of the inning on Josh Rudnik's grand slam to take a 10-4 lead. It was the fifth home run of the season for Rudnik, who went 4-for-4.

Armstrong got three runs back in the eighth. R.J. Dennard had a solo home run – his fifth of 2014 – and the Pirates added two unearned runs.  Once again, the Mountain Lions had an answer in their half of the inning as they sent 14 batters to the plate, scoring nine runs. Jack Morrow drove in one run after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Valichka added a bases-loaded walk. Dom Wyshinski and David Atwood each contributed run-scoring singles while Zach Odom drove in two more with a single. Thomas added a two-run double down the left-field line.

Thomas, Wyshinski, Odom and Atwood each tallied two hits for the Mountain Lions, who collected 14 hits. Taylor Topping (2-3) earned the win in relief while Mitchell Dolan (1-4) took the loss for the Pirates.