BELMONT, N.C. | The Young Harris College baseball team picked up a key Conference Carolinas series victory on the road this weekend, taking two of three games from Belmont Abbey. The Mountain Lions won Friday's opener 10-9, dropped Saturday's first game 10-4, and responded with an 11-5 victory in the series finale.
With the series win, Young Harris moves to 33-13 overall and 23-7 in Conference Carolinas play.
Young Harris rallied from an early deficit to claim Friday's opener in dramatic fashion. Belmont Abbey jumped in front 1-0 in the first on a solo home run before Jayden Carbonell-Smith answered with a solo shot in the second to tie the game. The Mountain Lions moved ahead 3-1 in the third on a two-run home run from Jack Enrico, but the Crusaders responded with a six-run bottom of the third to take a 7-3 lead.
The Mountain Lions answered immediately in the fourth. Keypher Contreras launched a game-tying grand slam to even the score at 7-7. Belmont Abbey added single runs in the fifth and seventh innings to regain the lead, but Young Harris kept responding. Enrico drove in a run with a single in the sixth to tie the game at 8-8, then doubled home Jackson Morgan in the eighth to make it 9-9. Later in the inning, Carbonell-Smith drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice to put the Mountain Lions in front for good.
Sam Neal earned the win in relief, tossing 4.0 innings and allowing just one run while striking out four. Brock Parker worked 2.0 innings and allowed one unearned run.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Jack Enrico: 4-for-5, double, home run, four RBI, two runs scored
- Keypher Contreras: home run, four RBI, two runs scored
- Jayden Carbonell-Smith: 3-for-4, double, home run, two RBI, two runs scored
- Kade Smallwood: 2-for-4, one run scored
- Jackson Morgan: 2-for-5, double, one run scored
- Sam Neal: 4.0 innings pitched, four hits, one run, four strikeouts
- Young Harris: 14 hits and seven walks
Belmont Abbey answered in Saturday's first game, taking a 10-4 win in a seven-inning contest. The Crusaders scored three runs in the first inning before Young Harris tied the game in the second on RBI doubles from Jeo Hernandez and Carlos Martans. Belmont Abbey regained the lead on Caleb Burr's solo home run in the third, then broke the game open with four runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
Young Harris scored its final run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Jonny Smith but could not close the gap. Barrett Eldridge took the loss after working 3.0 innings, while Spencer Cipro earned the complete game win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Jeo Hernandez: 2-for-3, double, one RBI, one run scored
- Carlos Martans: 1-for-3, double, two RBI
- Drew Bray: 2-for-4
- Jackson Morgan: 2-for-4, one run scored
- Jack Enrico: 1-for-3, one run scored
- Jonny Smith: one RBI
- Caleb Burr: 3-for-3, two home runs, five RBI, three runs scored
The Mountain Lions bounced back in the series finale, scoring seven runs over the first two innings on the way to an 11-5 win.
Jackson Morgan opened the scoring with a three-run home run in the first inning, and Young Harris added four runs in the second. Morgan drew a bases-loaded walk, Jack Enrico added a sacrifice fly, Jayden Carbonell-Smith singled in a run, and another run scored on a wild pitch.
Belmont Abbey chipped away with runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth before pulling within 10-5 in the seventh, but Young Harris maintained control. The Mountain Lions added an insurance run in the eighth.
Ryan Heishman earned the win, allowing two runs over 4.1 innings with four strikeouts. Tommy Dowd and Austin Ritchie closed out the game, with Ritchie tossing 2.0 scoreless innings.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Jackson Morgan: 2-for-3, home run, four RBI, two runs scored, two walks
- Carlos Martans: 2-for-5, two runs scored
- Jayden Carbonell-Smith: 2-for-5, double, one RBI, one run scored
- Jonny Smith: 2-for-3, double, one RBI, one run scored
- Jeo Hernandez: 2-for-5, one RBI
- Drew Bray: 1-for-4, three runs scored, two walks
- Ryan Heishman: 4.1 innings pitched, six hits, two runs, four strikeouts
- Austin Ritchie: 2.0 innings pitched, two hits, no runs, two strikeouts
UP NEXT:
Young Harris will look ahead to its next midweek game versus Tusculum on the road.
