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YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | Rudy Gaona had three hits and drove in five runs as the Young Harris College baseball team beat 21st-ranked University of North Carolina at Pembroke for the second consecutive day as the Mountain Lions recorded a 10-4 Peach Belt Conference victory Saturday (March 3) afternoon at Zell B. Miller Field.

The Mountain Lions improved to 8-9 overall and to 4-4 in the Peach Belt, while the Braves fell to 11-3 and 5-3. The two teams wrap up their three-game series with a 1 p.m. contest Sunday (March 4).

Young Harris took a 1-0 lead in the second off UNCP starter Landen Smith (1-1) without the benefit of a hit.  Corley Reynolds drove in Bradley Klees on a fielder's choice. Klees reached after being hit by a pitch. He then stole second and moved over to third on a wild pitch.

The Mountain Lions broke the game open with three runs in the third inning. Cory Ewald had a RBI single through the left side before Gaona stroked a triple into the left-center gap to knock in two more runs.

After the Braves got a run in the fifth, the Mountain Lions added two runs in the bottom half of the inning to open up a 6-1 lead. Ewald added a run-scoring double to right-center and Gaona contributed a RBI single back up the middle.

Young Harris added two more runs in the sixth to take an 8-2 lead. Royce Woolfolk drove in a run after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Logan Worley drew a bases-loaded walk.

The Mountain Lions closed out the scoring with a two-run double to right-center field in the eighth inning as YHC took a 10-3 lead.

Mat Szabo (2-1) struck out eighth and scattered five hits over 6 2.innings to earn the win, while McLain Harris picked up his second save with three strikeouts over 2.1 innings of relief.

Ewald, Reynolds and Woolfolk had two hits apiece as the Mountain Lions sprayed 10 hits against four UNC Pembroke pitchers.