YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | Zavier Lushington collected three hits and drove in five runs as the Young Harris College baseball team defeated Augusta University 10-5 in a Peach Belt Conference contest Friday (April 12) evening at Zell B. Miller Field.

The Mountain Lions, who are ranked No. 7 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's Division II Southeast Region poll, equalled their win total from last season as they improved to 26-13 overall and remained in third place in the Peach Belt with a 12-8 ledger. Augusta fell to 17-22 and 6-19. The two teams wrap up their three-game series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday (April 13). The Mountain Lions will honor their nine seniors prior to the doubleheader at 12:45 p.m.

Young Harris took a 2-0 lead in the first. Brett Hawkins singled to right-center field before Lushington hit a laser to center field for a two-run homer - his team-leading ninth of 2019.  The Mountain Lions added a run in the second as Tyler Washington led off with a double to left-center field and later scored on a wild pitch.

Augusta got a run in the fourth on a home run to left-center and two more on a Devin Bilardelo homer an inning later to tie the game at 3. Young Harris broke open the game with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.Hawkins drew a bases-loaded walk to break the tie and Lushington followed by clearing the bases with a double to center to give the Mountain Lions a 7-3 lead. 

The Jaguars added a run in the sixth, but the Mountain Lions added RBI singles from Washington and Tristin Smith in the seventh to open up a 9-4 lead. Young Harris closed out its scoring with a Dahlton Cash run-scoring single to center field.

Hawkins also collected three hits for the Mountain Lions, while Washinton and Smith finished with two hits. 

Cameron Williams improved to 5-3 as he strucked out nine in seven innings of work for the Mountain Lions, while Aron Chick (1-3) absorbed the loss for the Jaguars.