FLORENCE, S.C.  |  Cory Ewald hit a grand slam to lead Young Harris College past Francis Marion University 7-4 in a Peach Belt Conference baseball game Saturday (March 17) afternoon at Sparrow Stadium. 

The Mountain Lions improved to 12-12 overall and 7-7 in the PBC, while the Patriots fell to 10-16 and 4-10. The two teams return to action Sunday (March 18) for game three of the series at 1 p.m. 

After Skylor Murphy and Jackson Jones drew back-to-back walks for Young Harris in the top of the first inning off of FMU starter Isaac Rodgers (2-4), Rudy Gaona singled to left center field to load the bases for Ewald.

Ewald sent the 2-0 pitch over the left field fence to put the Mountain Lions ahead 4-0. to left field, It was his team-leading fifth home run of 2018.

Alex Griffith led off the second inning with a honer to left field to lead off the second inning to put Francis Marion on the board. 

Jones put Young Harris up by four (5-1) in the top of the fourth with a RBI groundout  that scored Brett Graczyk.  Jones extended the Mountain Lion lead to 7-2 with a two-run single up the middle in the top of that ninth that scored Murphy and Logan Worley. 

Gage Taylor hit a two RBI single to left field in the bottom of the ninth for the Patriots. Steven Cox put Francis Marion within three (7-4) after a single through the left side that scored Peyton Creech. 

YHC reliever Steven Eichhorn came in with two outs for Young Harris in the bottom of the ninth with two runners on base and struck out the last batter to end the game and earn his first save.

Mat Szabo (3-2) picked up the win for the Mountain Lions as he allowed one run on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched.

Ewald finished with one hit, four RBI and one run scored, while Jones collected one hit, three RBI and a run scored. Worley tallied two hits and a run scored. Murphy had one hit and scored twice while Gaona, Tyler Washington, Zavier Lushington, and Graczyk each had one hit.