YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | The University of North Carolina at Pembroke swept a Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader from Young Harris College Saturday (March 7) afternoon at Zell B. Miller Field.

The Braves scored three runs in the eighth and ninth innings to claim the opener 7-4 before taking the nightcap 17-9.

UNC Pembroke improved to 16-5 overall and to 9-2 in the Peach Belt, while Young Harris fell to 9-7 and 3-5. The teams will wrap up the weekend set with a 1 p.m. Sunday (March 8) contest.

Jackson Jones and Cole Jackson led the Mountain Lions with two hits in the opener, while Dahlton Cash drove in two runs.

Cash had a sacrifice fly in the first inning to give YHC a 1-0 lead, while a Jackson single to right tied the game at 2 in the fourth. Cash doubled home a run an inning later and Paul Salata added an RBI ground out as the Mountain Lions tied the game.

Chase Webb (1-2) took the loss in relief for the Mountain Lions.

In the nightcap, the teams combined for 30 hits with Young Harris recording 16 of them. Oscar Serratos led the way with three hits, while Logan Worley and Mark Castle had two each. Brett Hawkins drove in two runs to lead YHC.

Young Harris jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first inning as the Mountain Lions batted around. Salata had an RBI double, while Hawkins tripled and drove in two runs and Serratos added an RBI hit. Cash led off the bottom of the third with a homer to left-center to give YHC a 6-4 lead. 

UNCP broke the game open as they took advantage of eight free passes from the YHC pitching staff and four errors by the Mountain Lions.

Mat Szabo (3-1) took the loss for YHC despite recording eight strikeouts.