Aiken, SC – The Flying Fleet split a two game series with USC-Aiken, losing game one 7-5 on Friday night and then rebounding with a 6-3 victory Saturday afternoon.

Game One

Erskine looked like it would take an early lead in the top of the first, loading the bases with one out.  Pacer starter Thomas McCloud would then get back to back strike outs to end the Fleet rally. Aiken would then take the lead in the bottom half of the inning on a solo home run by Stephen Carmon.  The Pacers would then add two runs in the second to make it a3-0 game.

In the top of the fourth, Zach McCarthy (Spartanburg, SC, Byrnes HS) would hit a two out double and then score on a single by Cameron Yost (Simpsonville, SC, Hillcrest HS).  Phillip Herring (Dillion, SC, Dillion HS) would follow with a single and then Yost would score on a double by Brian Laznik (Chardon, OH, Lakeland CC) to cut the Pacer lead to one.  Aiken would answer with three unanswered runs to make it a 6-2 game.  Erskine would mount a rally in the top of the eighth, scoring three runs with RBI singles from Yost and Luke Danielewicz (Spartanburg, SC, Dorman High School) to pull within one run.  The Pacers would add a run in the bottom half of the inning and hold on for the win.

Yost led the Fleet at the plate going 2-3 with two RBI’s, while Laznik and Chase Corn also added two hits each.  Zach McAllister (Simpsonville, SC, Hillcrest HS) (3-4) took the loss allowing five runs on seven hits in four innings of work.

Box Score

Game Two

Erskine would strike first in the second game and would never trail.  In the top of the second, John Bolding (Pickens, SC, Pickens HS) would reach on a error by the second baseman to lead off the inning.  After a one single by Casey Winckowski (Oregon, OH, Owens CC), Danielewicz would double down the left field line to score two runs.  He would then score on a double to right by Yost to give Erskine a 3-0 lead.  Aiken would score two runs in the bottom of the third to cut the Erskine lead to one.  Neither team would score over the next three innings, but in the bottom of the sixth Aiken would push across a run to tie the game at three.

In the top of the eighth, Herring would lead off with a single and then Corn would be hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second.  Zach Smith (Lexington, SC, White Knoll HS) would then lay down a bunt single to load the bases.  Bolding would follow with a single through the left side to put the Fleet up by one.  Erskine would add two insurance runs on sacrifice flies from Drew Willingham (Hodges, SC, Greenwood HS) and McCarthy to make it a 6-3 game.  After getting the go ahead single, Bolding moved to the mound and threw two shutout innings to pick up his third save of the season.