CENTRAL, S.C. | The Young Harris College softball team split a Conference Carolinas doubleheader at Southern Wesleyan on Wednesday afternoon, taking game one 3-1 before falling 5-3 in game two.
The Mountain Lions move to 21-13 overall following the split.
Game One: Young Harris 3, Southern Wesleyan 1
Young Harris used timely hitting and strong pitching to open the day with a 3-1 victory.
The Mountain Lions broke through in the fourth inning when Mallory Clark reached on an error, allowing Bailee Brown to score an unearned run. Young Harris added another unearned run in the fifth as Jordan Morris drove in Shayla Pennington on a groundout to make it 2-0.
Southern Wesleyan cut the lead to 2-1 in the fifth on an RBI double from Reagan Fulcher, but Shelby Duncan answered in the sixth with a solo home run to right field to extend the lead to 3-1.
Abbie Burkett earned the win, tossing 4.2 innings and allowing one run on three hits while striking out five. Julia Moore closed the game with 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out three to secure her fifth save of the season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Shelby Duncan went 2-for-3 with a home run and RBI
• Bailee Brown scored a run and added a hit
• Shayla Pennington recorded a hit and scored a run
• Young Harris held Southern Wesleyan to just three hits
• Julia Moore recorded her fifth save of the season
Game Two: Southern Wesleyan 5, Young Harris 3
Southern Wesleyan responded in game two, using a big third inning and late insurance runs to earn the split.
The Warriors jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning on RBI hits from Megan Ware and Reagan Fulcher.
Young Harris answered in the fourth, tying the game at 3-3. Mallory Clark drove in a run with a single, Addie Heal followed with an RBI triple, and Shayla Pennington added an RBI single to even the score.
Southern Wesleyan regained the lead in the sixth inning as Olivia Haag delivered a two-run double to make it 5-3, which held as the final.
Julia Moore took the loss, pitching all six innings and allowing five runs on six hits while striking out five.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Mallory Clark, Addie Heal, and Shayla Pennington each recorded an RBI
• Addie Heal added a triple and scored a run
• Young Harris scored all three runs in the fourth inning
• Southern Wesleyan limited YH to three hits
UP NEXT:
The Mountain Lions continue Conference Carolinas play as they look to bounce back in their next series.Â
