Box Score

Due West, SC – After being held hitless through five innings, the Flying Fleet scored five unanswered runs in the final three innings to erase a 2-0 deficit and upset the fifth ranked Pirates of Armstrong Atlantic Tuesday afternoon.

In the top of the first, Casey Maloney led the game off with a double down the left field line and then later scored on a ground out by Alex Frederick to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.  Armstrong (35-10) would add to their lead in the third when Zach Taylor hit a two out solo home run to right field.  Armstrong starter Travis Morris would hold Erskine (27-21) hitless through the first five innings, but a one out double by Phillip Herring (Dillon, SC, Dillion HS) in the sixth would break up the no hit bid.  Cody Spence (Belton, SC, Belton-Honea Path HS) would then reach first on an error by the second baseman to put runners at first and third with one out.  After a walk to Zac McCarthy (Lyman, SC, Byrnes HS) loaded the bases, Josh Purvis (Valdosta, GA, Armstrong Atlantic University) would single to center to score Herring and make it a 2-1 game.  Cameron Yost (Simpsonville, SC, Hillcrest HS), who pinch ran for Spence, would then score from third on a wild pitch to tie the game up.  After a ground out by Drew Willingham (Greenwood, SC, Greenwood HS), McCarthy would score on another wild pitch to give Erskine the lead. 

Will Huff (Sugar Hill, GA, North Gwinette HS) would lead off the top of the seventh inning with a solo home run to right field to push the Fleet lead to two.  In the bottom of the eighth inning, Yost would be hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and then advance to third on a single by McCarthy.  With one out and a runner at third, Willingham would execute a squeeze bunt that scored Yost and gave Erskine another insurance run.  Evan Howard (Thomson, GA, Paine College) would then pitch a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his first save of the year.

Huff and Purvis each had one hit and one RBI to lead the Fleet at the plate, while Herring was 1-2 with a double.  On a day that saw Erskine throw 10 different pitchers, Joby Moss (Richburg, SC, Lewisville HS) (2-1) picked up the win with a scoreless sixth inning of work.

Maloney and R.J. Dennard each had two hits for the Pirates, while Taylor was 1-4 with a home run and RBI.  Morris (5-2) took the loss allowing three runs on two hits in 5.2 innings of work.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Erskine as the open up the Conference Carolinas tournament Thursday against the #1 ranked Trojans of Mount Olive.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 pm.