YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The Diamond Jaguars shut out Young Harris 5-0 in the first meeting of the Peach Belt Conference series, but fell 3-2 on a walk-off double in game two Thursday afternoon at Zell B. Miller Field.
Freshmen Mallory Ferguson and Erin Rozier paced the Jags (21-32, 8-12 PBC) with Rozier going 3-for-4 and Ferguson 2-for-3 in game one of the series against the Mountain Lions (20-27, 8-8 PBC). Ferguson started the scoring in the fourth when she leadoff with a double to left center. Erin Rozier's bunt single moved runners to first and third and Brooke Stephens plated one with a bunt, before Kristen Bagley put the Jas up 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Two innings later, Ferguson was at it again with a leadoff single to left, eventually scoring on a throwing error from the Mountain Lions. Ahead 3-0, GRU Augusta used two singles and back-to-back walks to score one, before Ferguson lifted another sac fly for a 5-0 advantage.
Jaguar lefty starter Haley Birkle (9-16) struck out two in her complete game win, while YHC slinger Darby Stanford (7-11) took the loss in 6.0 innings, allowing six hits for five runs. The Jaguars outhit the Mountain Lions 7-to-3 and used two errors to outlast YHC on their home turf.GRU went down 1-0 in the fifth inning of game two after McKenna Rylee homered to left field off sophomore righty Paige Deschaine. Brianna Dickens began the Jags' sixth inning with a single in the right-field gap. Becky Newhouse got the call to pinch run for Dickens and Ashley Benton's infield single moved Newhouse to second. YHC starter Katie-Jo Gentry got an out on Molly Walton's fielder's choice, but left herself a first and third situation with Ferguson coming to the plate.
Head Coach Melissa Mullins put the double steal on for Walton to steal second base and Newhouse to score on the throw down to tie the game. Ferguson brought home Walton with a single to left field for a 2-1 swing, but the Mountain Lions responded in the seventh to net the game on a sacrifice fly. Birkle came in from the bullpen to close out the sixth inning with a grounder to second. After the Jags came up empty in their last scheduled at bat, Birkle gave up a one-out single and gave the runner a free pass on a wild pitch. Sarah Beth Marquis hit a walk-off double down the left-field line for a 3-2 final to give Birkle the loss.
The Jaguars play at Lander this Saturday, April 12 for a 1:00 p.m. PBC doubleheader to close out the regular season.
