YOUNG HARRIS, GA. After a thrilling walk-off in game one, Young Harris struggled to stay on top of the Francis Marion Patriots for the remainder of the series (Mar 1
st-2
nd).
Mark Castle electrified Zell B. Miller Field and its fans Saturday afternoon after slicing one through the middle of the FMU offense to win game one.
The Mountain Lions advance to 12-6 overall and move to 6-3 in Conference Carolinas play. The Patriots move to 13-6 overall and are 4-5 in Conference Carolinas.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
Game 1 (3/1):
- Young Harris walked off game one in thrilling fashion with a final score of 6-5.
- FMU ran the show offensively for the first ninety minutes. Several Patriot base hits gave them a 5-0 lead for the first five innings.
- The Mountain Lion offense came alive and took charge beginning in the fifth. Luke Hatcher (3-4) kicked things off with an RBI double to right center.
- In the seventh inning, Kade Smallwood (2-4) singled up the middle to bring in a YH run. The score read 5-3 in favor of FMU.
- Trailing by two heading into the ninth, Young Harris came to the plate with a purpose. Things got started with Luke Hatcher's electric homerun to left center.
- Then, Jonny Smith (1-1) came to the plate and sliced one down the left field line to bring home Chase Jackson. The ball game was tied at five at this point.
- To seal the deal, Mark Castle (2singled up the middle for the walk-off.
- Luke Hatcher finished the game with an impressive 4-5 stat line with three RBIs.
- Brady Caloway was warranted the win for YH after 1.2 innings pitched.
Game 2 (3/1):
- The Mountain Lions dropped game two to the Patriots with a final score of 3-5.
- Lots of action occurred in the first inning for Young Harris. Carlos Martans, Kade Smallwood (2-2), and Jeremy Begora got it done at the plate to give YH a 3-0 lead.
- Francis Marion came alive in the fifth, where they tied the game at three thanks to RBIs from Jimmy Koza and Caleb Oakley.
- The Patriots continued their offensive rhythm in the eighth. Two Francis Marion base hits led to two more runs, which were the final on the day. The score read 5-3 in favor of FMU.
- The win went to Euson Rijnaldo after pitching a complete game and recording 11 strikeouts.
Game 3 (3/2):
- YH battled with FMU but fell short 7-11 in game three.
- Each team rallied in the second inning. For the Patriots, Owen Taylor hit an RBI triple to give Francis Marion two runs.
- In the Mountain Lions half of the inning, Marco Colina (2-5) had an RBI single to close the Patriot's lead to one.
- The scoring efforts continued to go back and forth. In the fourth inning, FMU's Will Dorrell and YHC's Kade Smallwood both homered.
- The fifth inning involved RBIs on both sides as well. Jonny Smith (4-5) was the contributor for YH with an RBI single through the left side.
- Francis Marion broke the battle in the sixth. The Patriots scored three runs on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to left center.
- Young Harris controlled the seventh. Combined efforts from Jonny Smith and Marco Colina brought the Mountain Lions within two, behind 5-7.
- Each team added a run in the eighth as well. The FMU run came from a sacrifice fly while the YH run came from an RBI single from Jeremy Begora (2-4). Jonny Smith brought the game within one after his RBI single up the middle as well.
- Noah Stout put the game away in the ninth with a three-run home run.
- Jonny Smith had a great day at the plate after going 4-5 with three RBIs.
- FMU's Daniel Barcena was awarded the win after four innings pitched.
UP NEXT: The Mountain Lions will hit the road to Mars Hill University to take on the Lions in a single game this Tuesday (Mar 4
th) for a 2PM first pitch.
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