Young Harris bats sizzle in doubleheader sweep

Sports, TeamFYNSports, YHC Softball
Young Harris softball

Young Harris College collected 29 hits as the sixth-ranked Mountain Lions swept a softball non-conference doubleheader from No. 25 University of Alabama in Huntsville at Bob Jones High School Wednesday afternoon, March 11.

The Mountain Lions won the opener 12-11 before scoring 10 unanswered runs in the nightcap to take a 10-3 win.

Young Harris improved to 19-3, while the Chargers fell to 15-8. Young Harris opens its Peach Belt Conference schedule Saturday, March 14, when they face the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at E.D. Rivers Field.

Maddie Urquiola Young Harris

Maddie Urquiola

In the opener, the Mountain Lions scored five times in the second inning to take a 5-2 lead. Maddie Urquiola drove in the first run with a bases-loaded walk before Emily Harris drove in another with a single through the left side. Morgan Curley drew a bases-loaded walk before Carly Rigsbee drove in the final two runs with a single to right-center,

The Chargers battled back to take a 6-5 lead in the third, but YHC put up a four spot in the fourth inning to take a 9-6 lead. Haylie Shope drove in the first two runs on a double to center before Katelynn Hodges and Urquiola had run-scoring hits.

Jill Torres gave the Mountain Lions a 12-6 lead an inning later when she smacked a three-run homer to left field. It was her third long ball of the season. UAH got five runs back in the bottom half of the inning to get within a run at 12-11.

Shope (8-0) earned the win in the circle, while Sam Davis pitched three scoreless innings to earn her first save.

Jill Torres

Jill Torres drove in six runs Sunday.

Torres led the Mountain Lions’ 13-hit attack with three hits, while Harris, Michelin Bingham, and Hodges had two hits each.

UAH jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning of game two. The Mountain Lions got two of the runs back in the third as Curley had an RBI double to left-center field and Rigsbee drove in a run on a ground out.

The Mountain Lions broke the game open with a five-run fourth inning to take a 7-3 lead. Urquiola started the rally with a three-run homer to left-center field and Bingham and Torres added RBI singles. It was the team-leading sixth homer for Urquiola in 2020.

YHC added three insurance runs in the sixth. Bingham smacked a two-run homer – her fourth of the campaign – to center and Hodges drove in the final run with a double to right-center field.

Sam King (5-1) collected the win in the circle as she struck out five in six innings.

The YHC offense had 16 hits. Harris and Bingham led the way with three hits, while Rigsbee, Torres and Hodges added two hits apiece.

To view the full Young Harris softball schedule, click here.

 

Photos courtesy of Young Harris College.

YHC lacrosse’s Meyers, Valvo honored by GSC

Sports, TeamFYNSports, YHC Lacrosse
Young Harris Lacrosse YHC

Young Harris College women’s lacrosse players Maddy Meyers and Aubrie Valvo earned weekly honors from the Gulf South Conference.

Maddy Myers Young Harris Mountain Lions Lacrosse

Maddy Meyers

Aubrie Valvo

Aubrie Valvo

For the second week in a row, Myers was honored as the league’s Defensive Player of the Week, while Valvo was selected as the GSC’s Freshman of the Week.

Meyers, a freshman goalie from Marietta, Georgia, had 18 saves in goal for the Mountain Lions in a 16-11 win over Catawba College. She also had four ground balls.

Valvo, a freshman midfielder from Kennesaw, Georgia, had four goals and an assist in the win over Catawba. Her four goals were part of an 8-0 run by the Mountain Lions at the start of the second half that saw YHC overcome a 5-2 deficit at halftime. She also scooped up two ground balls in the victory.

YHC women’s lacrosse falls 13-12 at Lenoir-Ryne

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Young Harris Lacrosse YHC

Alyssa Sack scored six goals, including the game-winner, as Lenoir-Ryne University rallied for a 13-12 women’s lacrosse victory against Young Harris College on Monday evening, March 9, at Moretz Stadium in Hickory, N.C.

The Bears improved to 4-2, while the Mountain Lions fell to 3-4. Young Harris lacrosse returns to action Wednesday, March 11, at noon as they face Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C.

Young Harris YHC Lacross Sierra Haas

Sierra Haas scored three goals Monday.

Lenoir-Rhyne opened up a 6-3 lead midway through the first half before the Mountain Lions stormed back to tie the game at six with 9:51 remaining as Taylor Greenberg sandwiched a Channing Milford strike with two goals.

The Bears got the next two goals before Young Harris closed out the first half with four unanswered goals – including the final three from Sierra Haas – to take a 10-8 lead into halftime.

Taylor Greenberg

Taylor Greenberg scored twice Monday.

However, Lenoir-Rhyne opened the second half with four consecutive goals, including the last two by Sack, to take a 12-10 lead with 18:35 to play. Milford scored three minutes later to pull the Mountain Lions within one at 12-11. The Bears added an insurance goal from Cathleen Gaffney at the 13:00 mark to regain the two-goal advantage. Mary Deatrick scored a man-up goal with 7:08 left to get YHC within 13-12, but the Mountain Lions were unable to get another goal in the back of the net.

Haas led Young Harris with three goals, while Greenberg, Deatrick and Milford each scored twice. Luckie, Leigh Anne Turner, and Belle Hardwick each tallied a goal. Deatrick and Milford led YHC with two asssists apiece. Haas and Aubrie Valvo had one assist each.

Maddy Meyers led the Mountain Lions with four ground balls, while Deatrick, Luckie and Valvo paced YHC with three draw controls each. Meyers turned away 11 shots in the Young Harris goal.

 

Photos courtesy of Young Harris College.

Young Harris softball sweeps doubleheader

Sports, TeamFYNSports, YHC Softball
Young Harris Softball Shope

Haylie Shope picked up two wins and Jill Torres drove in six runs as the sixth-ranked Young Harris College softball team swept a doubleheader from Emmanuel (Ga.) College on Sunday afternoon, March 8, at E.D. Rivers Field.

Young Harris YHC Haylie Shope RBI

Haylie Shope picked up two wins Sunday.

The Mountain Lions improved to 17-3, while the Lions fell to 9-9. Young Harris travels to Huntsville, Alabama, Wednesday, March 11, for a 1 p.m. Central time doubleheader against the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

In the opener, Shope (7-0) tossed her second no-hitter in as many days as Young Harris won the first game 8-0 in five innings. Torres’ bases-clearing double down the right field line in the bottom of the sixth helped the Mountain Lions rally for a 6-4 decision.

Young Harris broke open the first game with a five-run third inning. Morgan Curley and Carly Rigsbee had RBI singles, while Michalyn Bingham drove in a run with ground out. Torres then added a two-run homer to right field to give YHC a 5-0 lead.

Jill Torres

Jill Torres drove in six runs Sunday.

The Mountain Lions added three runs in the fourth to make it 8-0. Torres added a sacrifice fly and Biz Walters drove in another run with a single.

Rigsbee and Shope each led the Mountain Lions with two hits. Shope didn’t allow a hit in five innings as she struck out four while walking two.

In the second game, Emmanuel took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth before the Mountain Lions got a run back in the bottom half of the inning as Walter drove in a run with an infield hit.

An inning later, Emily Harris and Curley each singled and Bingham reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases before Torres blooped a double just inside the right field line that cleared the bases and gave Young Harris a 6-4 lead.

Walters led YHC with three hits, while Harris, Curley and Maddie Urquiola collected two apiece. Urquiola also drove in two runs.

Shope recorded the final four outs to get the win in relief.

Young Harris softball sweeps home doubleheader

Sports, TeamFYNSports, YHC Softball
Young Harris Softball Shope

Young Harris College collected 23 hits and scored in every inning but one as the sixth-ranked Mountain Lions claimed 14-0 and 12-1 home wins against Shaw University on Saturday, March 7, at E.D. Rivers Field.

Both games were decided in five innings.

Young Harris YHC Haylie Shope Softball

Haylie Shope tossed a no-hitter in game one Saturday.

The Mountain Lions improved to 15-3, while the Bears fell to 3-12. Young Harris will face Emmanuel (Ga.) College in a 2:30 p.m. home doubleheader Sunday, March 8.

In the opener, Haylie Shope tossed a no-hitter as she improved to 5-0 in the circle. She struck out seven and only allowed two runners to reach base, one via a walk and the other reached on an error.

Shope aided her own cause with an RBI double in the first before Carly Rigsbee broke the game open with a grand slam over the trees in center field to give the Mountain Lions a 6-0 lead an inning later. Morgan Curley’s two-run homer to center highlighted an eight-run fourth inning. Jill Torres, Shope, and Maddie Urquiola also had RBI hits.

Emily Harris, Curley, Michelin Bingham, Shope, and Biz Walters each collected two hits for YHC, while Rigsbee drove in four runs and Rigsbee knocked in two.

The Mountain Lions added three more long balls in game two. Shope stroked a two-run blast to left-center field in the first, while Torres deposited a two-run homer in the second over the center field wall. Rigsbee smacked a two-run homer to right in the third inning.

Curley, Torres and Shope each collected two hits. Rigsbee drove in four more runs, while Torres added three RBIs.

Sara King (4-1) earned the win in game two and struck out eight.

Young Harris men’s tennis beaten by Bellarmine

Sports, TeamFYNSports, YHC Tennis
YHC Mountain Lions

Bellarmine University held off Young Harris College 4-3 in a non-conference men’s tennis match Friday afternoon, March 6, at the Bob & Gayle Nichols Tennis Complex.

YHC Tennis Romeo Luque

Romeo Luque

THC Tennis Kash Reddiyar

Kash Reddiyar

The Knights improved to 5-3, while the Mountain Lions fell to 5-4. Young Harris hosts Southern Wesleyan University in a noon match Saturday, March 7.

Bellarmine captured the doubles point, but YHC’s Kash Reddiyar and Romero Luque teamed up for a 7-6 (6) win at the third flight.

The teams split the six singles matches. Reddiyar registered a 4-6, 7-5 and 1-0 (10-7) win at No. 1, while Luque won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 5. John Brett also claimed a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 6.

Young Harris women’s tennis falls to Bellarmine

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YHC Mountain Lions

Bellarmine University recorded a 5-2 non-conference women’s tennis victory against Young Harris College on Friday, March 6, at the Bob & Gayle Nichols Tennis Complex.

YHC Carol Quevedo Tennis

Carol Quevedo

YHC Jing Dong Tennis

Jing Dong

The Knights improved to 9-0, while the Mountain Lions fell to 5-6. Young Harris will host Southern Wesleyan University in a noon match Saturday, March 7.

Bellarmine took the doubles points, but Ana Rodriguez and Juli Boerr took a 6-2 victory in the second flight.

Carol Quevedo and Jing Dong each recorded wins in singles.

Quevedo claimed a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 2, while Dong outlasted her opponent at No. 3 singles with a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (3).

Mountain Lions women’s lacrosse defeats Catawba College

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Young Harris Lacrosse YHC

Young Harris College scored 14 goals in the second half as the Mountain Lions rallied for a 16-11 non-conference women’s lacrosse victory against Catawba College on Friday, March 6, at the YHC Soccer and Lacrosse Field.

Taylor Greenberg

Taylor Greenberg scored four goals for YHC.

The Mountain Lions leveled their record at 3-3, while the Indians fell to 1-5. Young Harris travels to Hickory, North Carolina, Monday, March 9, for a 5 p.m. match against Lenoir-Rhyne University.

With Catawba holding a 5-2 halftime lead, Young Harris came out and scored eighth consecutive goals to start the second half and 10 of the first 11 goals to open up a 12-6 margin. Aubrie Valvo scored four of the first eight YHC goals, while Taylor Greenberg added two. Belle Hardwick and Anna Luckie each scored during the YHC onslaught.

Aubrie Valvo

Aubrie Valvo scored four goals for YHC.

Valvo and Greenberg led the Mountain Lions with four goals apiece, while Channing Milford added two. Mary Deatrick, Ansley Coles, Hardwick, Luckie, Kelsey Dover, and Sierra Haas had one goal each. Milford led YHC with three assists, while Deatrick added two. Coles, Hardwick, Leigh Anne Turner and Valvo added an assist.

Young Harris outshot Catawba 43-35 and held a 20-8 cushion in draw controls. Each team scooped up 25 ground balls.

Deatrick led the way with 10 draw controls, while Milford claimed seven and Deatrick had three. Maddy Meyers, Luckie and Milford had four ground balls for the Mountain Lions.

Meyers registered 18 saves in goal for Young Harris.

YHC’s Huffman, White honored at Peach Belt awards

Sports, TeamFYNSports, YHC Basketball
YHC Mountain Lions

Young Harris College women’s basketball’s Lindsey Huffman and Niaya White were honored by the Peach Belt Conference at its basketball tournament banquet Friday evening, March 6.

YHC Lindsey Huffman

Lindsey Huffman

Huffman was named the Peach Belt Coach of the Year, while White was selected to the All-PBC third team.

Huffman took over a Young Harris program this season and won as many games in 2019-20 as the team has had in the past two years combined. The first-year head coach led the Mountain Lions to a 15-14 overall record, including a 9-11 ledger in PBC play.

That’s the most wins for a YHC women’s basketball team since the 2013-14 and an improvement of nine wins over last season. YHC made their first-ever PBC Tournament appearance this season with the second-best scoring defense in the league (61.6 ppg).

YHC Niaya White

Niaya White

The Mountain Lions were also ranked in the PBC’s top five in rebounds per game (36.6), field goal percentage defense (.378) and rebound margin (+3.9). Huffman is the first YHC coach to be named the women’s basketball Coach of the Year.

White, a 5-foot-8 junior guard/forward from St. Petersburg, Florida, led the Mountain Lions with 13.3 points per game and was third in rebounding (4.4) and assists (47) and fourth in steals (33).

White is currently ranked 11th in the league in scoring, second in free throw percentage (.808), eighth in field goals (142) and 13th in free throws (80).

White scored in double figures in 23 of the 29 games played, including a career-high 26 points against Flagler College. She also grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds against Georgia Southwestern State University.

YHC women’s basketball falls to Lander in PBC tourney quarters

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YHC Women's Basketball

The Young Harris College women’s basketball team’s first appearance in the Peach Belt Conference tournament came to an end Wednesday, March 4, with a 66-50 loss to top-seeded Lander University in the quarterfinals at Finis Horne Arena in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Young Harris Carly Winters

Young Harris freshman Carly Winters led the team with 19 points Wednesday, March 4.

The eight-seeded Mountain Lions were led by freshman Carly Winters, who scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including hitting four from 3-point range.

Junior Niaya White scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting for the Mountain Lions, who finished the season with a 15-14 record.

Young Harris stayed close with Lander (24-5) through the first quarter as the Bearcats, who are ranked No. 23 nationally, led 16-10 after the first 10 minutes of play.

A 15-4 Lander run in the opening moments of the second quarter allowed the Bearcats to open a 31-14 lead and the team led by as many as 28 points, 58-23, late in the third quarter.

The Mountain Lions refused to go quietly, outscored the Bearcats 21-10 in the fourth to close the gap.

The 15 wins were a nine-game improvement from last season and mark the third-most in the program’s history. The winning season is the first for the women’s basketball team in six years.

Freshman Kalen Surles added eight points, while freshman Mackenzie Johnson added a team-high six rebounds in the loss.

Mountain Lions softball ranked sixth in latest NFCA poll

Sports, TeamFYNSports, YHC Softball
YHC Softball

The Young Harris College softball team fell to No. 6 in this week’s National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division II Top 25 poll.

The Mountain Lions, who had spent the past two weeks at the top spot, went 1-3 last week. They split a pair of games against then-20th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University and lost twice to Lees-McRae College at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational.

The Mountain Lions (13-3) will play four games this weekend at the YHC Tournament. YHC will face Shaw University in a 10 a.m. doubleheader Saturday, March 7, at E.D. Rivers Field. Young Harris will also face Emmanuel (Ga.) College in a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader Sunday, March 8, to wrap up the event.

Mountain Lions sweep weekly Gulf South women’s lacrosse awards

Sports, Team FYN Sports, YHC Lacrosse
YHC Mountain Lions

Young Harris College swept the weekly Gulf South Conference’s women’s lacrosse honors, it was announced Tuesday, March 3.

Mary Deatrick Young Harris Mountain Lions Lacrosse

Mary Deatrick

Mary Deatrick was named Player of the Week, while Maddy Meyers was named both the Defensive Player of the Week and the Freshman of the Week.

Maddy Myers Young Harris Mountain Lions Lacrosse

Maddy Meyers

Deatrick, a senior midfielder from Marietta, Georgia, scored six goals and had four assists as the Mountain Lions split two matches last week. Deatrick also won 13 draw controls. It’s the second time in her career that she has won this award.

Meyers, a freshman goalie also from Marietta, had 28 saves in net for YHC, including 14 in a win over the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. She also corralled three ground balls and caused a turnover during the week.

The Mountain Lions (2-3) return to action Friday (March 6) with a 4 p.m. match against Catawba College at the YHC Soccer and Lacrosse Field.

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