WILSON, N.C. – The Barton baseball team (2-6, 1-3) suffered a 17-6 loss to Young Harris (9-3, 4-0) Thursday afternoon in the opener of a Conference Carolinas series at Nixon Field.
Young Harris' Kade Smallwood (Flowery Branch, Fla.) hit a three-run home run as part of an eight-run seventh inning as the Mountain Lions rallied from a 6-1 deficit to take the win.
Keypher Contreras (Baraona, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) added a three-run round-tripper in the eighth frame as the Mountain Lions scored the final 16 runs of the contest and remained unbeaten in league play. Young Harris finished with four home runs in the victory.
Contreras totaled three hits and five runs batted in as nine of the visitors' 15 hits went for extra bases.
Barton was led by junior
Mason McDougall (Tampa, Fla.), who finished three-for-three with a bases-clearing double and four RBI while sophomore outfielder
Vincent Santostefano (Chapin, S.C.) added a solo home run the losing effort.
On the mound, Young Harris' Ryan Heishman (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings while Barton freshman
Kasey Barcroft (Virginia Beach, Fla.) (0-2) was tagged with the loss.
The two teams will wrap up the league weekend series with a doubleheader on Friday beginning at Noon.
