YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | Young Harris College and Francis Marion University split a Peach Belt Conference softball doubleheader Saturday (March 19) afternoon at E.D. Rivers Field.
 
The Mountain Lions rallied from a five-run deficit to win the opener 6-5 before the Patriots hit two home runs to win game two 9-0 in five innings.
 
The Mountain Lions improved to 19-9 overall and to 5-3 in the Peach Belt while Francis Marion fell to 22-10 and 5-5. Young Harris returns to action at 1 p.m. Sunday (March 20) as they host the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in a PBC doubleheader.
 
Francis Marion took advantage of three YHC errors to take a 5-0 lead in the first inning of game one. Young Harris began its comeback with a run in the bottom half of the inning on a Sarah Magill double to center field.
 
The Mountain Lions added three runs in the fourth inning off FMU pitcher Shelby Kelley (11-9) to pull within a run at 5-4. Rachel Benson doubled home two runs while Hannah Harrison added a RBI triple to right field.
 
Young Harris completed the comeback with two runs an inning later to take a 6-5 lead. Murphy Davis tripled to right field to score Magill, who started the inning with a walk. Chandler Stooksbury drove in the winning run with her double to center field.
 
Darby Stanford (15-1) struck out seven in the complete-game effort.
 
Davis, Harrison and Stooksbury led the Mountain Lions with two hits apiece. Six of the nine Young Harris hits in the opener went for extra bases.
 
Francis Marion scored nine runs over the first four innings of the nightcap to earn the split.
 
Mykah Nevin, who went 2-for-3 with 5 RBI, had a two-run homer – her third of the season – to give FMU a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Nevin's bases-clearing double in the second gave the Patriots a 5-0 advantage. Shannan Lopes, who went 3-for-3, had a one-out solo home run – her fourth of 2016 – to left field in the fourth.
 
Samantha Wroblewski (11-1) earned the win for Francis Marion, allowing just four hits. Jeannie Perrucci (2-6) absorbed the loss.
 
Harrison, Magill, Grace Botti, and Georgia Webb had hits for the Mountain Lions in game two.