DAHLONEGA, Ga. | Young Harris College collected 14 hits as the Mountain Lions defeated its cross-mountain rival University of North Georgia 8-6 in a Peach Belt Conference baseball game Saturday (April 9) afternoon at Bob Stein Stadium.

Young Harris improved to 12-24 overall and to 6-14 in the Peach Belt while the Nighthawks fell to 20-16 and 10-13. The Battle of Blood Mountain series is tied at 1 with the rubber game between the two teams is set for 1 p.m. Sunday (April 10).

North Georgia used run-scoring hits by Trevor Sams and Connor Hoover to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Young Harris wasted little time coming back as they scored four runs against UNG starter Steven Bower (4-3) in its next at-bat. After Zach Wall led off with an infield single, Zach Beggs connected on his eighth homer – a two-run shot to right – of the season tied the game at 2.

Zach Odom gave YHC the lead for good at 3-2 later in the inning with a RBI single to left-center field and Luke Miller added another run on a fielder's choice.

UNG got a run back in the fourth on a Devin Gearhart's single through the left side. Young Harris increased its lead to 6-3 with two runs in the sixth inning on Chris McGinnis' single through left side that scored Brett Westmoreland and Triston Smith. Westmoreland led off the inning with a double and Smith was hit by a pitch.

The Mountain Lions pushed their lead to 8-3 with two more runs on Nick Sexton's single through the right side scoring Odom and Troy Kizer, who both reached on singles.

UNG got three runs back in the bottom of the ninth on Same Tidaback's home run to right field, but they couldn't get any closer.

Donald Frew (3-5) earned the win for Young Harris as he scattered eight hits and struck out six over 7 2/3 innings.

Odom led the Mountain Lions with three hits while Sexton, Westmoreland, Beggs and Kizer each clubbed two hits.