PEMBROKE – Drew Alford tripled to lead off the bottom of the 12th inning and later scored on three-straight walks as UNCP completed a series-clinching doubleheader sweep of visiting Young Harris with a 7-6 win over the Mountain Lions on Saturday evening at Sammy Cox Field.

The triumph gave UNCP (16-5, 6-5 PBC) its second Peach Belt Conference series victory of the season. The setback marked the third-straight loss for Young Harris (8-9, 1-7).

Daniel Fraga singled three times and scored once on a 3-for-5 outing for UNCP, while Alford and Brett Huffman both turned in 2-for-5 outings. Trey Rogers and Spencer Thomas both turned in 3-for-6 hitting lines for Young Harris.

Patrick McMahon (2-0) blew his first save of the season, but still managed to pick up the win after scattering five hits and a trio of walks over four innings of relief. He also struck out six. Young Harris reliever Cody Beck (2-1) struck out eight and allowed just three hits in seven innings of work from the mound, but saddled the loss anyways after yielding two runs (one earned) and a trio of walks.

UNCP twice rallied back from deficits in the first four innings, and then punched across lone runs in the fifth and eighth innings to lug a 6-4 lead into the ninth. Mike Medori and Zach Bricknell both walked to lead off the top of the ninth, and the visitors would eventually knot the score back up on a wild pitch by McMahon and a RBI single by Trey Rogers.

The Mountain Lions had their best chance to score after loading the bases with their first four at-bats in the 12th, but left fielder Drew Cole and third baseman Jordan Edgerton strung together a perfect relay to gun down Jack Morrow at the plate for the second out, and McMahon struck out Bricknell to nix the threat.

Alford's lights-aided triple helped UNCP get something going in the bottom of the frame, but Young Harris opted to walk the bases loaded in an attempt to force a double play at any of the bases. The strategy would backfire, however, as Zade Denton drew a walk on a full-count offering from Beck to force the winning run home on a free pass.

The squads will close out the weekend set on Sunday with a single game at Sammy Cox Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.