Mountain Lions Take Road Series at Florida Southern with Pair of Wins on Saturday

Spencer Mathis

Director of Media & Communications

The Young Harris College Mountain Lions took the weekend series over Florida Southern at Henley Field, bouncing back from a Friday night setback with two victories on Saturday to earn the series win, two games to one. 

After dropping the opener 9–6 in a game that swung late, Young Harris responded with a 9–3 win in game two behind a complete game from Cole Molina, then held on for a 13–11 victory in the finale after erupting for 10 runs in the third inning. 

Game One: Florida Southern 9, Young Harris 6 (Friday)

• Florida Southern struck for four runs in the first inning, and the Mountain Lions spent the middle innings chipping away before briefly taking control. 

• Young Harris tied the game in the fifth, then took a 6–4 lead in the seventh on a two-run homer from Kade Smallwood. The Mocs answered with five runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull back in front and close out the opener. 

• Jonny Smith went 3-for-4 with a solo home run. 

• Jeo Hernandez finished 2-for-4 with an RBI double. 

• Smallwood homered and drove in two. 

• Trey Griffin threw four scoreless innings in relief, and Sam Neal was tagged with the loss in the eighth. 

Game Two: Young Harris 9, Florida Southern 3 (Saturday)

• Young Harris jumped out early and never let go, scoring two runs in the first and two more in the second to set the tone. 

• Smallwood delivered a two-run double in the second inning, and the Mountain Lions added runs in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth to build separation. 

• Molina went the distance, throwing nine innings with nine strikeouts to earn the win and player of the series honors. 

• Drew Bray reached base five times, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored. 

•  Hernandez went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Keypher Contreras and Drew Bray each homered in the win. 

Game Three: Young Harris 13, Florida Southern 11 (Saturday)

• The finale featured early fireworks from both sides, as Young Harris scored in the first before Florida Southern put up four in the bottom of the first to take an early edge. 

• Down 5–2 entering the third, the Mountain Lions exploded for 10 runs in the inning to flip the game and seize control. 

• Sydney Ward powered the frame with a grand slam, and Jeo Hernandez added a two-run homer later in the inning as Young Harris surged in front. 

• Florida Southern made multiple pushes late, but Young Harris held on to secure the series win. 

• Drew Sofield earned the win, and Trey Griffin recorded the save with 1.2 scoreless/hitless innings to finish it. 

• Bray went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.  

• Hernandez finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs. 

• Ward drove in four runs on one swing of the bat. 

• Carlos Martans added three hits, and Jackson Morgan collected two hits and an RBI. 

UP NEXT:

YH Baseball returns to action on Tuesday (Feb. 10) afternoon as they play their home opener against UNG for game two of the Battle of Blood Mountain in 2026!