YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | The Young Harris College baseball team swept a Peach Belt Conference doubelheader from Claflin University Thursday (April 6) afternoon at Zell B. Miller Field.

The Mountain Lions, who are ranked 30th in the Collegiate Baseball poll and 23rd in the NCBWA poll, defeated the Panthers by scores of 14-1 (seven innings) and 14-4 (eight innings). YHC improved to 27-11 overall and to 17-6 in the PBC, while the Panthers fell to 0-30 and 0-19. The teams will play the series finale Friday (April 7)  at 10 a.m. at the East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, Georgia.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORES:

GAME 1

• The Mountain Lions took control of the game with a six-run second inning. James Basham started the scoring with a sacrifice fly. Jarrett Ford and Steven Spell drove in a run each on singles before Jeremy Begora knocked in two more with a single.
• Young Harris added two runs in the fourth on a bases-loaded hit by pitch by Marco Colina and Drew Bray added a sacrifice fly.
• YHC closed out the scoring with a six-run sixth inning. Bergora drilled his 11th homer  - a two-run shot to right - to start the scoring, while Jace Wilson added a RBI ground out. Basham added a RBI single before Ethan Underwood connected on a two-run homer to right. It was Underwood's fourth homer of 2023.
• YHC collected 11 hits with Begora leading the way with three. Underwood and Ford each had two hits.
• Cole Edwards (2-1) earned the complete game as he allowed just one run and five hits. 

GAME 2

• The Mountain Lions jumped out to another big lead as they scored five times in the second inning. Bray started the rally with a two-run single, while Wilson posted a RBI single.
• After Claflin scored two runs in the fourth, the Mountain Lions got them back in the fifth when Rome Wallace scored on a wild pitch and Ford added a sacrifice fly.
• Ford added a two-run homer to left field in the seventh inning to push the YHC lead out to 9-3. It was third homer of the campaign.
• The Mountain Lions closed out the game with a five-run eighth. Wilson and Underwood drove in runs with bases-loaded walks, while Ford stroked a two-run single to right field. Steven Spell ended the game on an RBI single to left-center field.
• Ryan Cross (4-2) earned the win with five strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
• YHC posted 14 hits with Bray collecting four of them. Wallace added three, while Ford had two.

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