YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | Young Harris College used a five-run first inning en route to a 7-3 non-conference baseball victory over Tusculum University Wednesday (Feb. 13) afternoon in the home opener at Zell B. Miller Field.

The Mountain Lions improved to 4-4, while the Pioneers fell to 1-7. Young Harris travels to Greenwood, South Carolina, for a three-game Peach Belt Conference weekend series against Lander University. The series begins at 5 p.m. Friday (Feb. 15).

After the Pioneers scored a run in the top of the first, reliever Jake Tomelevage (1-0) got the Mountain Lions out of a jam as he got an inning-ending double play.

Young Harris responded with five runs in its half of the inning. Logan Worley led off with an infield single and moved to second on a wild pitch by starter Christian Cuba (0-3) and scored on Zavier Lushington's single back up the middle. After Cole Jackson and Jackson Jones drew walks to load the bases. Bailey Campbell was hit by a pitch to give the Mountain Lions a 2-1 lead. Young Harris added runs on a Dahlton Cash ground out and a fielder's choice by Corley Reynolds to make it 4-1 before Worley drove in the final run with another infield single.

Tusculum got a run back on a Nate Montgomery single in the fifth, but the Mountain Lions responded with an RBI single through the left side by Tucker Greer in the bottom of the inning.

The two teams traded runs in the eighth. The Pioneers got their run on a fielder's choice, while the Mountain Lions took a 7-3 lead on a single up the middle from Campbell.  
 
Tusculum mounted a threat in the ninth as they loaded the bases on a single, a walk and an error, but YHC reliever McLain Harris notched his first save of 2019 as struck out the next two batters he faced and got Zach Finchum to line out to end the game.

Cash, who recorded two doubles,  led the Mountain Lions with three hits, while Campbell and Worley each had two. Campbell also drove in two runs.