YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Young Harris College scored 22 runs and clubbed 26 hits in a doubleheader sweep of No. 11 (
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Top 30) Flagler College Friday at Zell B. Miller Field. Young Harris took game one 11-4 and then won 11-6 in the nightcap.
Young Harris extended its winning streak to three and improved to 15-13 overall and 9-8 in the Peach Belt. Flagler lost its third game in a row, its first losing streak of the season, and dropped to 23-7 overall and 14-3 in conference play.
In the opener, Young Harris' Tristan Smith (2-3, 8RBI, 2R) belted two grand slam home runs, one in the second and the other in the fifth to help give the Mountain Lions a 10-1 lead.
The Saints pushed across three runs in the ninth with the help of a run-scoring infield hit by
Steven DiPuglia and a two-run double by
Connor Laspina.
Michael Livingston (3-1) scattered five hits and allowed one run over eight innings pitched. He fanned seven batters. In the middle of his outing, Livingston retired 14 of 15 batters.
Cory Ewald collected two singles, scored two runs and drove in another. Rudy Gaona also had two singles and he scored two runs.
Robert Girgis (4-1) allowed 10 runs on 10 hits in four-plus innings of work. He struck out six batters.
Aaron Simple and
Kyle Hansen saw time in relief.
Laspina finished 2-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in.
Aaron Anderson and DiPuglia each had a single and one RBI.
In the second game, Flagler committed five errors which led to five unearned runs.
A sacrifice fly and an RBI triple by
Sean Lawlor gave Flagler an early 2-0 lead.
Young Harris scored five unearned runs in the second inning to take the lead for good. Gaona reached on a throwing error by Flagler third baseman
Frankie Martello. Two batters later,
Ethan Crout's fielding error allowed Tyler Washington to reach safely. After a walk loaded the bases, Corley Reynolds' single got through the hole at shortstop to score one run and Brett Graczyk hit a two-run single to right-center. Another run scored on a ground out.
Gaona hit a two-run homer in the fifth and then added a solo shot in the sixth.
Once again, the Saints made it interesting in the ninth as DiPuglia hit a two-run single to left and a dropped ball by the pitcher covering first base allowed another run to score, but that's all Flagler could muster.
The Saints stranded a season-high 15 runners on base.
Mat Szabo (4-2) tossed five innings, scattered six hits and allowed two runs to earn the win. McLain Harris pitched three-plus innings in relief, allowed seven hits and four runs, but struck out six batters.
Ewald went 3-for-4 with two doubles and he scored a run for Young Harris. Reynolds collected three singles, scored two runs and had one RBI. Gaona hit two home runs, drove in three runs and scored three runs. Graczyk went 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI and he scored a run.
Ryan Ashworth (4-3) allowed eight hits and two earned runs in five innings of work.
Nick Martinez tossed three innings in relief.
DiPuglia finished 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Lawlor went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored and one run drive in.
Jimmy Peck collected two singles.
The same two teams are scheduled to meet tomorrow (March 24) at 12 p.m. for the rubber game of the series.
