Young Harris, Ga. - The Claflin University Panthers dropped a Peach Belt Conference (PBC) baseball series to Young Harris College.
 
The three-game series saw Young Harris sweep Sunday (Mar. 21) doubleheader 10-3 and 14-4 (7 innings). The Mountain Lions won the series-opener on Saturday (Mar. 20) by the score of 23-3.
 
Claflin, now 1-19 overall with the same mark in league play, will return home to entertain Columbus State University. The series gets underway on Friday (Mar. 26) with a single game at 6 p.m. followed by Saturday's (Mar. 27) doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. All games will be played at Historic Mirmow Field. No fans are allowed at Panther home games. 
 
The series win improved Young Harris season worksheet to 10-6 overall and 10-5 in the PBC.
 
In the doubleheader opener, Claflin matched Young Harris in hits at 10 but fell short in the runs department.
 
The Panthers jumped on the scoreboard in the first inning when Da'Avion Sumpter homered over the left-field fence. The solo shot was Sumpter's second of the season, tying him with Steve Joyner and Keyon Smith for the team lead.
 
Smith later provided Claflin with a 2-0 lead in the inning with a run-scoring double.
 
In the bottom half of the first inning, Young Harris tied the game at 2-2 when Dahlton Cash ripped a two-run triple.
 
The Panthers regained the lead at 3-2 in the second inning with an unearned run. The contest stayed that way until Young Harris scored twice in both the fourth and fifth innings. The Mountain Lions pushed across four additional runs in the eighth for the final score.
 
Joyner and Tavion Towers had two hits each for the Panthers.
 
Cash finished the game as the top hitter for the Mountain Lions with three hits and four RBIs.
 
Brody Meeks, 1-0, earned the win on the mound for Young Harris, while Charles Jackson, 0-4, was the loser for Claflin. Jackson allowed six runs on four hits and struck out five batters.
 
The second game saw the Young Harris offense reel off nine unanswered runs to erase a 2-2. The offensive production put the Mountain Lions safely in front at 11-2 after six innings of play.
 
Young Harris outscored Claflin 3-2 over the last three innings for the final margin.
 
The Panthers collected nine hits in the game, highlighted by home runs from Nicholas Johnson and Jordan McCray. It was Johnson blasting a two-run homer in the second inning, his first of the season, to force the 2-2 tie. McCray, who had two hits in the game, drilled a solo homer in the seventh.
 
Other top hits for Claflin included Towers with a pair of hits followed by Enrique Morales and Mackenze Gay with a double each.
 
Rome Wallace had a home run to lead Young Harris, while Noah Fitzgerald finished the game with two hits and 3 RBIs.
 
Cole Edwards, 2-1, picked up the win for Young Harris, while X'zavier Johnson, 0-5, was on the losing end for Claflin.
 
In the series opener, Young Harris broke open a close contest with the aid of two explosive innings. The Mountain Lions pushed a slim 4-3 lead to 10-3 with a six-run fourth inning. Young Harris later erupted for eight more runs in the fifth, increasing its lead to 18-3. The Mountain Lions added five additional runs over the last three innings en route to the victory.
 
Young Harris pounded four Claflin pitchers for 19 hits in the win, while the Panthers collected six.
 
Chad Brown, 3-1, was the winning pitcher for the Mountain Lions, while Talmon Hubbard, 0-1, took the loss for Claflin.
 
Claflin was led at the plate by Joyner, who ripped a two-run double in the third inning. Sumpter had two hits that included an RBI single for the Panthers, while Edzaviah Paul contributed two hits.
 
Noah Fitzgerald led the way offensively for Young Harris with a pair of home runs and 6 RBIs. Three other players produced home runs for the Mountain Lions in the game, Jackson Jones, Rome Wallace, and Cole Jackson.