YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – After trailing the Young Harris Mountain Lions by five runs in the first inning, the Jaguars rallied to take a 8-7 lead in the ninth, but gave up two runs in the last at bat to fall 9-8 in game one of the Peach Belt Conference series at Zell B. Miller field.

The Jaguars (5-9, 1-3 PBC) outhit YHC (7-11, 4-6 PBC) 16-15 in the wild start to the series, but they left 12 men on base to YHC's five.

Sophomore Tyler Brown was hit early in his fifth start of the season, surrendering five runs on six hits to Young Harris in the first inning. The Jags plated two in their next at bat in the second inning, thanks to Nick Rau's leadoff double to left field. Rau scored on a Christopher Michal's single and Michals eventually took home on a throwing error by the shortstop to help cut the deficit.

Down 6-2 into the seventh inning, the Jags relieved Brown with right-hander David Bermudez. Brown pitched 6.0 innings and gave up nine hits for six earned runs.

GRU plated two more on three-straight hits in the seventh inning, but the Mountain Lions added one of their own in the bottom of the seventh off Bermudez to make it 7-4.

In their last scheduled at bat, the Jags rallied to steal an 8-7 lead off five hits. Clint Hardy singled up the middle to start the inning and Drew Taylor belted a double on a 0-1 count to move Hardy to third. Rau and Boose knocked consecutive singles to score two and after Nate Crown's RBI single, Kevin Dodson drew a bases-loaded walk to score Boose.

Sophomore righty Tristan Jones came in to close out the ninth with his team ahead by one. Nick Sexton leadoff with a two-strike single to center field and a sacrifice bunt moved him to second. Back-to-back singles to left field scored the game-tying run and a failed pickoff attempt in the next at bat moved the runner to third. Troy Kizer hit a walk-off single two batters later to give YHC a 9-8 win in dramatic fashion.

Jones (0-3) gets the loss for GRU, giving up four hits for two runs in the ninth. Bermudez pitched 2.0 innings of relief work and allowed two runs (one earned), while he struck out two.

The GRU offense was carried by Rau who went 4-5 with three RBI and two scored runs. Hardy, Taylor and Michals all had two hits each.

The series concludes tomorrow on Sunday March 8, with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Young Harris.

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