AMERICUS - The Georgia Southwestern baseball team split a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader with Young Harris College on Saturday afternoon at Hurricane Stadium. The Hurricanes won Game 1, 3-1, before YHC rallied in the nightcap for a come-from-behind victory in Game 2, 5-2, in 12 innings.
GSW ends the day with an overall record of 4-3 and 1-1 in the PBC while Young Harris sits at 4-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Hurricanes win in Game 1 was a program first against the Mountain Lions as GSW had lost the previous five meetings.
The two schools wrap up their weekend series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
GAME 1: GSW 3, YOUNG HARRIS 1
The Hurricanes broke open a scoreless game in the fourth inning with three runs. GSW brought nine men to the plate in the fourth, punched three singles, was walked once and took advantage of a Young Harris fielding error.
The Mountain Lions pushed across a run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly but could not get a runner farther than first base the rest of the way.
Devyn Newberry, Will Redding and Josh Tatnall collected two hits apiece to lead the Hurricanes.
Nick Sexton and Zach Odom had two hits apiece for Young Harris.
Strong pitching was the story in Game 1.
GSW starter Kyle Romstadt (1-0) picked up his first win of the spring after 5 1/3 innings on the hill. Romstadt held YHC to one run and four hits. He walked four and struck out nine. Lawson Stewart earned the first GSW save of the season as he kept the Mountain Lions off the scoreboard for the final 3 2/3 innings. Stewart held YHC to one hit, walked one and struck out three.
Starter Justin Cooper (2-1) suffered the loss for YHC. Cooper went seven innings, surrendered seven hits, three runs - one earned - and struck out six while walking only one. William Leatherwood struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning.
GAME 2: GSW 2, YOUNG HARRIS 5 (12 INNINGS)
GSW jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the nightcap after scoring a run in the second inning and another in the third. Paul Sorrow tripled into the right field corner in the second inning to score Hunt Smith from first base and Dakota Long singled up the middle in the third to bring Devyn Newberry around for the two-run lead.
Young Harris plated its first run of the game in the seventh after taking advantage of a two-base throwing error to start off the inning.
The Mountain Lions capitalized on GSW miscues once again in the ninth inning when three walks and a fielding error led to the game-tying run.
GSW had an excellent opportunity to win the game in the 10th after loading the bases with no outs, but a strikeout and an inning-ending double play squashed the hopes of any Hurricanes heroics.
Nick Sexton opened the 12th inning with a home run for YHC and Troy Kizer added some insurance with his two-run double.
GSW's Sorrow and Brett Burgess were the only players from either side with multiple hits in Game 2.
Hurricanes starter Earl Dupree was outstanding in his six innings on the hill. Dupree scattered three hits and three walks while striking out eight. Jordan McIlwain was charged with two unearned runs during his 2 1/3 innings of work. He walked two and struck out three. Justin Barnes (0-1) pitched the final 3 2/3 innings, allowed four hits, walked one and struck out five.
YHC starter Donald Frew pitched seven innings, held GSW to four hits, walked three and struck out five. William Leatherwood threw another scoreless inning and Cole Amtmann (1-0) kept GSW off the scoreboard for the final four frames.