GREENVILLE, S.C. – Conference Carolinas opened the NCAA Division II Baseball Southeast Regional Championships with three wins. North Greenville University, Francis Marion University and Young Harris College all earned opening game wins on Thursday.

NORTH GREENVILLE REGIONAL - TOURNAMENT PAGE

No. 5 Francis Marion def. No. 4 North Georgia, 10-8
Francis Marion grabbed the lead in the first inning with an Ethan McAnally run-scoring groundout before adding three in the third on a Will Dorrell home run. The Patriots tacked one in the fourth and two in the fifth to take a 7-0 lead.

However, North Georgia scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Patriots had an answer. McAnally drove in two with a double in the sixth before Jimmy Koza laced a home run in the seventh to give Francis Marion a 10-6 lead. The Nighthawks added run in the eighth and ninth, but the Patriots held on for the 10-8 win.

No. 1 North Greenville def. No. 8 Lander, 17-6
North Greenville got off to a hot start, scoring five runs in the first inning. The Trailblazer lead grew to 11-0 with two runs in the third inning and four in the fifth inning. Lander scored one in the seventh before North Greenville responded with three in the bottom of the inning. Lander cut into the deficit with five runs in the eighth inning, but the Trailblazers responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to -take the contest 17-6.

Francis Marion takes on North Greenville at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.

CATAWBA REGIONAL - TOURNAMENT PAGE

No. 6 Young Harris def. No. 3 Wingate, 9-3
Jackson Morgan gave Young Harris the early lead with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. Wingate cut their deficit in half with a run in the third inning, but Keypher Contreras responded for the Mountain Lions with a home run in the top over the fourth inning. Morgan struck again in the fifth inning, blasting a three-run home run to give Young Harris a 6-1 lead. Wingate added runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, but Young Harris added a run in the top of the sixth as well.

Young Harris capped the 9-3 win with run scoring doubles from Jeo Hernandez and Jonny Smith in the eighth and ninth innings.

Young Harris takes on host Catawba at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.

No. 2 Catawba def. No. 7 Belmont Abbey, 10-3
The host Indians didn’t waste any time taking the lead with four runs in the fourth and four more in the second inning. The Crusader deficit grew to 9-0 before Belmont Abbey scored three runs in the sixth inning, two on a Jake Bidogli single. However, Catawba added another run in the eighth to take the contest 10-3.

Belmont Abbey faces Wingate in an elimination game at 2:00 p.m. on Friday.