Box Score Due West, SC – The 21^st ranked Flying Fleet defeated Barton College 7-1 Friday afternoon to open the Conference Carolinas series.

Neither team could get any offense going through the first three innings, but in the bottom of the fourth, Zach Smith (Lexington, SC, White Knoll HS) would double and reach third on an error.  He would then score on a sacrifice fly by Logan Galliher (Taylorsville, NC, Alexander Central HS) to give Erskine (16-3, 4-0) the lead.  The next inning, Brandon Overstreet (Stuart, FL, Herkimer CC) would reach third when the Bulldog center fielder dropped a fly ball at the wall.  He would score when Tanner Lollis (Williamston, SC, Palmetto HS) hit a sacrifice fly to make it a two run game.  Barton (7-16, 2-2) cut the lead to one in the top of the sixth when Mitchell Wheeler reached on an error and and advanced to third on a double by Andrew Webster.  Wheeler would then score on a sacrifice fly by Avery Harper.  The Fleet would respond in the bottom half of the inning when Smith singled and scored on a home run by Galliher.  Erskine would add three more runs in the seventh on a three run home run by Sam Cothran (Williamston, SC, Palmetto HS) and held on for the win.

Smith and Overstreet each had two hits for the Fleet while Cothran and Galliher each drove in three in the victory.  Austin Gambrell (Belton, SC, Spartanburg Methodist College) (4-1) picked up the win allowing just one unearned run and striking out five in eight innings of work.

Webster, Snooter Merryman, and Calvin Hawke each had two hits for the Bulldogs while Harper drove in the only run.  Brandon Warren (0-2) took the loss allowing five earned runs on seven hits and striking out four.

The two teams will conclude their series tomorrow with a double header starting at noon.