YOUNG HARRIS, GA. The Mountain Lions grabbed the first two of the three-game series against the Erskine College Flying Fleet this weekend (Feb 21^st-22^nd). Games one and two consisted of big offensive performances for Young Harris, putting up 23 runs combined. 
 
The Mountain Lions advance to 10-4 overall and are 5-1 in Conference Carolinas play. The Flying Fleet move to 7-7 overall and are 3-3 in Conference Carolinas.
 
QUOTING HEAD COACH STEPHEN WAGGENER:
"I am proud of our guys' effort this weekend. Really excited to see Sam Neal settled into the season. We had our chances in game three but failed to get the big hit."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
 
Game 1:

• YH took game one with a final score of 11-8.
• Drew Bray (1-4) made an outstanding defensive play at third base in the bottom of the first to get the second out. Fully laying out, Bray snagged a line drive that was headed down the left field line out of the air. 
• Erskine took charge in the second inning. Three base hits brought in the first three runs for the Maroon & Gold.
• Kade Smallwood doubled to right field to put the Mountain Lions on the board. 
• Back-to-back home runs from Marco Colina (1-2) and Kyle Chatham (2-5) gave Young Harris a 5-3 lead. 
• In the fourth, Erskine fought back with two RBI singles which tied the game at five.
• Kyle Chatham, Mark Castle (3-5), and Luke Hatcher (1-3) gave the Mountain Lions some momentum in the fifth inning. All were credited with RBIs.
• Jeremy Begora (2-4) went yard in the sixth to tack on another for YH. Mark Castle followed up with an RBI single to center field, bringing the score to 11-5.
• In a comeback effort, the Flying Fleet added three runs over the last three innings. 
• Jacob Autry took home the win and Sam Neal the save, each their second of the year. 

 
Game 2 DH (7 innings):

• In game one of the Saturday double-headers, the Mountain Lions secured the series with a final score of 12-6.
• Mark Castle's (1-3) RBI single to right field and advancement on an Erskine error started Young Harris up 2-0.
• A solo home run by JT Yaccarino gave the Maroon & Gold some life in their half of the second. 
• Johnny Smith (2-2) knocked in a run in the third for YH with an RBI single to left field. 
• In the bottom of the third, a home run and RBI double tied the game at three.
• Number one and two in the Mountain Lion lineup Drew Bray (1-3) and Luke Hatcher (1-4) added on two runs for the Purple & White in the sixth. 
• The Fleet continued to fight back and tied the game for the second time. A balk and RBI single to left field did the job.
• The seventh inning was a big one for Young Harris. Jack Enrico, Kade Smallwood (3-5), Marco Colina (1-3), and Kyle Chatham (1-4) lived up to the moment in their appearances at the plate. The score read 12-5 in favor of YH.
• Quinn Allen tacked on one final run for the Fleet in the 7^th. 

 
Game 3 DH (9 innings):

• Young Harris fell short to Erskine with a final score of 2-4.
• The only runs scored for EC came in the second inning. JT Yaccarino tripled to left field and found himself scoring at the plate due to a catcher's interference call. 
• Johnny Smith (2-4) got things going for YH in the fourth. He had an RBI single to left field, bringing in Marco Colina.
• Kyle Chatham grounded out to second base but knocked in Jeremy Begora on the way. This was the second and final run for the Mountain Lions.
• Drew Bray went 3-5 at the plate today.
• Sam Neal had an impressive outing. He pitched six innings, allowed no runs, and recorded seven strikeouts. 

 
UP NEXT: The Mountain Lions will return home this Wednesday to take on SAC opponent Carson-Newman at 3PM (Feb 26^th). 

Be the first to know what's going on with the Mountain Lions -- Follow @YHCAthletics on Twitter, follow YHCAthletics on Instagram, become a fan of Young Harris College Athletics on Facebook and subscribe to the Young Harris College Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with Young Harris Athletics. 
  Read Full Article