YHC baseball drops game two against King College

By Ethan Burch, Sports Editor

On Friday, the Young Harris College baseball team lost to King College by a score of 8-1 after falling behind 4-0 in the first inning.

King College (14-10) struck again for two runs in the fifth inning to give the Tornado a 6-0 lead over the Mountain Lions. The final two runs for King College came in the top of the seventh inning.

YHC (17-17) put themselves on the scoreboard in the seventh inning when freshman Mike Medori scored the Mountain Lions’ only run of the game after being drove in by sophomore Zach Bricknell. However, the one run plated by Bricknell would not be enough to put the Mountain Lions in reach of a victory.

With the series split, YHC head coach Rick Robinson felt that the Mountain Lions were facing a competitive King College team.

“The King [College] team is a very good team,” said YHC Baseball Head Coach Rick Robinson. “They do some really good things on the bases, put the ball in play. Their pitchers work fast and throw their pitches for strikes, which really kept us off balance.”

Freshman Brice Merritt (1-4) started on the mound for the Mountain Lions. Merritt lasted 0.1 of an inning, and he allowed four runs on three hits and a walk. Merritt was relieved by freshmen pitchers Adam Moore and Nick Boutwell.

Alex Martin (2-0) started on the mound and earned the win for King College season. Martin gave up four hits, one walk and earned four strikeouts.

This match-up was the second game of the three-game weekend series between YHC and King College. After the YHC loss in game two, the series was tied at one a piece.

“I think in game one we played pretty well,” said Robinson. “We pitched well and did some really good things.”

The Mountain Lions will work off of their positives in game one to win the weekend series over King College.

The winner of the three-game series between YHC and King College will be decided at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 26.

YHC softball splits series with Tennessee Wesleyan

By Ethan Burch, Sports Editor
with information from wire reports

Athens, Tenn.– On Wednesday, the Young Harris College softball team ended the night with one win and one loss against Tennessee Wesleyan.

The Mountain Lions won the opener 8-7, but fell 6-4 in the second game of the series.

Lisa Wilson started on the mound for the Mountain Lions in the first game and earned the win. Brittany Allen and Emily Wilson each hit home runs in the win. Wilson’s home run drove in three runs.

Sophomore Victoria Sink started on the mound for YHC in game two, taking the loss.

Kayla Jones and Victoria Hilton each accounted for a home run in the second game.

YHC (9-17) returns to action at 3 p.m. on Thursday in Cleveland as the Mountain Lions take on Truett McConnell.

YHC baseball drops match-up with Reinhardt

By Ethan Burch, Sports Editor
with information from wire reports

Waleska—On Wednesday, the Young Harris College baseball team fell 18-5 to Reinhardt College after falling behind by 10 runs in the game’s first inning.

The Eagles (8-13) started out the game with 10 runs in the first inning to get an early lead. Reinhardt had nine hits and capitalized off of one error by the Mountain Lions in the opening inning.

Reinhardt  extended their lead to 12 by scoring two runs in the third inning.

Reinhardt put the final touches on the win by scoring four runs in the fifth inning to go ahead 16-0.

YHC (16-13) then put themselves on the scoreboard by scoring five runs on three hits to put the game score at 16-5.

Reinhardt scored two runs to close out the 18-5 victory over the Mountain Lions.

Nick Galvin (0-1) started the game on the mound for the Mountain Lions. Galvin pitched for 0.2 of an inning giving up 10 runs on eight hits. Galvin would also account for two strikeouts and a walk. The Mountain Lions relief pitching in the game consisted of Tyler Isbell, Blake Fortune, Billy Demersky, Evan Carr and Taylor Topping.

Cory Cox (1-1) started on the mound for the Eagles and earned the win after throwing for 5.1 innings. Cox gave up five runs on four hits an accounted for four strikeouts and 13 walks. Cox was relieved by Chris Fletcher, Ricky Johnson and Jake Waters.

YHC will play North Greenville University in Tigerville, SC on Friday, March 18 at 3 p.m. This will be the first in a three-game series between the teams.

YHC baseball defeats Indiana University of Pennsylvania

By Ethan Burch, Sports Editor

Yesterday, the Young Harris College baseball team defeated Indiana University of Pennsylvania 19-4 in the first game of the Chad Gassman Classic.

The Chad Gassman Classic is a weekend series at Zell B. Miller Field that hosts YHC, IUP and Waldorf College. YHC is competing in the series in its first year as a four-year institution.

Freshman Adam Moore started on the mound for YHC. Moore (3-2) threw for five innings giving up four runs and four hits. Moore earned seven strikeouts while giving up three walks. Freshman Oliver Pratt gave up one hit in his two innings of relief to finish out the game for YHC.

Chris Douglas (1-1) started on the mound for the Crimson Hawks, giving up ten runs in just over two innings.

The Mountain Lions were led by the bats of freshman Jack Morrow, sophomore Zach Bricknell and freshman Ryan LaRose. Morrow struck for three hits on the day while Bricknell and LaRose each had two.

In the first inning, YHC (10-9) jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Crimson Hawks. The first Mountain Lions run was scored when Morrow knocked in Bricknell with a base hit. Freshman David Atwood would also score in the inning. Atwood’s run was followed by scoring of YHC base runners Rudnik and Moore.

IUP (2-3) answered by battling back in the top of the second inning with a four-run rally of their own when senior Frank Sirolli drove in three runs by delivering a two-out triple. At the end of two innings, the game was tied at four.

YHC busted the game wide open with a six-run rally in the bottom of the third inning to give the Mountain Lions a 10-4 lead.

The Mountain Lions used this same momentum to jump out to a 16-4 lead in the fourth inning thanks to another six-run rally.

YHC sealed the victory by scoring three runs in the sixth inning to give them a 19-4 lead. The score would cause the game to end in seven innings, resulting in a win for the Mountain Lions.

Women’s basketball drops final home contest

By Ethan Burch, Sports Editor

The Young Harris College women’s basketball team was unable to stop King College in the second half as the Mountain Lions fell, 60-40, during Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday at the YHC Basketball Arena.

“That was an example of losing in a total effort,” said YHC women’s basketball head coach Brenda Paul.

LaDondra Johnson led YHC (8-13) with 12 points and 10 rebounds, which was her third double-double of the season. Nikki Winn and Lauren Smith chipped in with seven points each as the Mountain Lions finished at 32 percent from the field, hitting on 16 of their 49 attempts.

YHC raced out to a 20-9 lead with 4:42 remaining in the opening half and took a 29-21 advantage into the break.

King opened the second half with a 29-9 run to take a 50-36 lead with 4:54 remaining. Young Harris could not recover from the run made by King College in the final four minutes.

“They [King College’ stepped up in the second half, and we folded,” said Paul.

Ashley Deans led three Lady Tornado players in double figures with 14 points. Derika Mooney had 13 points and nine boards, while Brianna Kelley finished with 10 points as King (9-15) was 25-of-56 shooting for 45 percent.

The Mountain Lions take to the road in looks for the series sweep against Reinhardt University on Monday, February 14. Young Harris defeated the Lady Eagles, 77-55 in their previous match-up on January 17. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. in Waleksa.

Baseball drops double header to Belmont Abbey

with information from wire reports

BELMONT, N.C. – After winning the first match-up Friday over Belmont Abbey, the Young Harris College Mountain Lions dropped both games of a Saturday doubleheader by scores of 11-3 and 17-9.

Young Harris College (1-5) got productive offensive afternoons from Zach Bricknell (4 H, 1 2B, 2 RBI) and Josh Rudnik (4 H, 1 RBI) in the losses. Rudnik (3 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) took the loss in the first game, while Adam Moore (3.2 IP, 10 H, 10 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) was the losing pitcher for the Mountain Lions in the second game.

The Mountain Lions will conclude their four-game series with Belmont Abbey College (6-3) this afternoon with a 1:00pm game at Abbey Field.

Viterbo leads Mountain Lions in win over Tennessee Temple

With information from wire reports

Steve Viterbo finished one point shy of tying his career mark as five Young Harris College men’s basketball players reached double figures in scoring as the Mountain Lions rolled to an 86-76 victory on Saturday over Tennessee Temple at the YHC Basketball Arena.

“I told the team the last six games we played, the opposition averaged 81 points and about 50 percent shooting, and we can’t have that if we want to win,” YHC head coach Pete Herrmann said. “When you hold them to 39 percent, you can win. And because we moved the ball, we shot over 50 percent. We shot a lot of free throws (25-of-37). We got to the line and we took good shots. It was a good win.”

Viterbo finished with 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds. Frank Adams was 14-of-17 from the free-throw line to score 18 points and grab 11 boards, while O’Neil Lubin added 17 points. Matt Preston and Bryson Robertson finished with 16 and 11 points, respectively as the Mountain Lions shot 52 percent (29-of-56) from the floor.

The Mountain Lions (4-13) opened the game on a 25-13 run, capped by an Adams three-point play with 9:20 remaining in the first half. YHC extended the advantage to 32-17 after a Viterbo 3-pointer, and took a 43-31 lead into the break.

YHC built a 17-point lead, 63-46, midway through the second half, but Tennessee Temple refused to go quietly, cutting the deficit to 75-68 with 3:18 remaining. That would be as close as the Crusaders would get.

Lewis Leanard paced Tennessee Temple (8-12) with 21 points and 10 boards. Ed Pellot-Rosa added 18 points as the Crusaders were 27-of-68 shooting for 40 percent.

YHC hits the road for a 7:30 p.m., contest on Monday, Jan. 31 against Tennessee Wesleyan.

Winn, Johnson lead YHC past Tennessee Temple

With information from wire reports

Nikki Winn did most of her damage in the first half and LaDondra Johnson took over in the second half as the Young Harris College women’s basketball team held off Tennessee Temple, 56-48, Saturday at the YHC Basketball Arena.

“We scrambled and found a way to win that one,” YHC head coach Brenda Paul said. “We had no information on that team. We did a great job at changing up the defenses and getting turnovers in key times. We took control of the boards and out-rebounding them. If you look at the stats, that’s the difference in the game and how well we did on the boards.”

Winn, a former Towns County High School standout, scored 12 of her 18 points in the first half, including draining four 3-pointers. Johnson was equally impressive as she scored 11 of her game-high 21 points in the second half to pace YHC (7-10). Lauren Smith added eight points and recorded 12 rebounds, along with handing out five assists as the Mountain Lions shot 36 percent (18-of-50) from the field.

YHC opened the game on an 18-6 run, capped by a Winn 3-pointer with 8:27 remaining in the first half. The Crusaders rallied and cut the margin to 27-20 before halftime.

The Crusaders rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half to tie the game at 41 on a pair of free throws by Shayla Wilson with 5:32 remaining. However, the Mountain Lions ended the game on a 15-7 run to get the victory.

Amber Charles led Tennessee Temple (6-11) with 10 points, while Cherelle James added nine points as the Crusaders were 15-of-43 shooting for 35 percent.

YHC takes to the road 5:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 31 against Tennessee Wesleyan.

YHC participates in service day for MLK

By Christelle Vereb, Staff Writer

Last Saturday Young Harris students and faculty gathered to give back to the community through Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

The event was planned by the campus S.E.R.V.E committee which stands for service, education, responsibility, voice and engagement. The S.E.R.V.E committee consists of the Office of Campus Activities, Religious Life and Bonner Leader programs.

“The purpose of Martin Luther King Day of Service is to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy of community change within our community,” said Rouseline Emmanuel, director of Campus Activities.

The event was originally planned for the prior Saturday, but due to disagreeable weather conditions the event had to be pushed back.

Despite the change in date, students and faculty were in attendance to do their part to help the community.

“We worked with three local agencies. Members of the YHC community helped with finishing construction on affordable housing in the Wesley Meadows neighborhood. We worked to help complete an outdoor adventure based training course for Niyelo at Towns County High School. We helped with painting, mulching, repairing and organizing the course. Finally, we walked, played, bathed and fed animals at the Human Society Mountain Shelter,” said Emmanuel.

Despite 25 degree weather, people attended the day of service to honor King’s legacy and make a difference, the group consisted of eight faculty/staff members and 62 students.

Tara Shiver, a junior music major from Covington, said, “it was a really great day; my favorite part of the day was going to the animal shelter. There was a puppy there. She was black and white. Her name was Tara, and my name is Tara; so I thought she was so cute. We got to play with her and clean the cages. And, my favorite part we got to walk them. It was a great time. After the day ended, we got to go have a pizza party at Papa’s Pizza. It was the best day ever.”

Young Harris rallies from 21 down to beat Truett McConnell

Information from wire reports

Young Harris – The Young Harris College women’s basketball team took its first lead with two minutes remaining and didn’t look back as the Mountain Lions rallied from a 21-point, first-half deficit to beat Truett McConnell, 58-50, on Monday afternoon at the YHC Basketball Arena.

“They played with no quit and played with pride the whole time,” Young Harris head coach Brenda Paul said. “Everyone on the team played as hard as they could. That is definitely a side of Young Harris Mountain Lion pride.”

Breanna Gleeson scored 13 of her team-high 15 points in the second half and was 6-for-15 from the floor, including knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to key a Young Harris run. LaDondra Johnson recorded a double-double, 14 points and 14 rebounds – nine coming on the offensive end and Lauren Smith added 12 points, eight rebounds and dished out a team-high four assists as the Mountain Lions (6-9) were 23-of-68 shooting for 34 percent.

Young Harris trailed, 34-13, at the break after struggling to find anything offensively as the Mountain Lions were 6-for-33 from the floor for 18 percent. The Mountain Lions turned that around in the second half by shooting 49 percent and limiting the Lady Bears (5-13) to just 15 percent.

The Mountain Lions used a 27-13 run to start the second half and cut the deficit to 47-40 after a Smith layup with 5:20 left. A 3-pointer by Willani Love extended the Truett McConnell lead to 50-40 with 4:57 remaining.

However, the final five minutes was dominated by Young Harris as the Mountain Lions closed out the game out with an 18-0 run to earn the come-from-behind victory.

Love paced the Lady Bears with 15 points, while Symone Hampton and Jasmine Butler recorded 12 and 10, respectively. Despite shooting 54 percent in the first half, Truett McConnell was 18-of-52 (35 percent) from the floor.

The Mountain Lions return to action 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 26 in Rome, Ga., against Berry College.