Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Due West, S.C. – The Erskine Flying Fleet (5-5, 1-1) nearly pulled off two come from behind victories against the Crusaders of Belmont Abbey on Saturday.  The Flying Fleet rallied from a six run deficit in the first game to win 7 to 6 and fought back in the nightcap after trailing by four runs only to lose 7 to 5.
 
Game One
 
After surrendering six runs in the first two innings, two Erskine pitchers combined to hold the Crusaders to one hit over the next 5.1 innings giving the Fleet bats a chance to rally.  The Abbey's Jena Reisenhauer crushed a grand slam in the first inning and Sloane McPeak smacked a two-run double to score The Abbey's six runs and drive Erskine starting pitcher Danica Newton (Mt. Pleasant, SC, Wando High School) from the game.
 
Sophomore Candace Fitch (Cherryville, NC, Burns High School) relieved Newton, tossing 3.1 innings of one hit ball.  Fitch's pitching performance allowed the Fleet bats to come alive, scoring a single run in the third and tallying four runs in the fifth, to cut the Crusader lead to a single run at 6 to 5.  In the third, freshman Sydney Smith (Seneca, SC) drove a double into the gap to score the speedy Brittany Reynolds (Seneca, SC), who led off the inning with a single.  In the fifth inning, Chandler Crawford (Williamston, SC) hit a line drive down the line for a bases-clearing triple and later scored on a wild pitch.
 
Erskine's Gabby Keisler (Gilbert, SC) provided the late-inning heroics, hitting a solo home run in the sixth to tie the game at 6 to 6 then in the seventh inning laced a shot into left field to score Smith, who led off the inning with her second double of the game.
 
Sophomore Kaylin White (Columbia, SC, White Knoll High School) pitched the final two innings, retiring all six batters she faced to earn her first win of the season.
 
Game Two
 
Through the first three innings, both starting pitchers were in control of the game.  Erskine pitcher Karen Hawkins (Belton, SC) settled down after yielding a run in the first to toss three shutout innings.  Conversely, The Abbey's Nikki Faust was dialing a shutout through the first three innings.
 
In the fourth inning, the Fleet took their only lead of the game with a two-run single by Keisler.  The Fleet had bases loaded but Reisenhauer, who relieved Faust, induced a rally-killing double play to prevent further damage.
 
The Fleet lead was short-lived as the Crusaders blew the game open with five runs in the fifth inning.  Reisenhauer delivered the big blow with a grand slam home run. 
 
The Fleet caught a break in the sixth to trim the lead back to one.  With bases loaded, Brittany Rhinehardt (Clover, SC) hit a single to left that the left fielder misplayed, rolling all the way to the fence.  Rhinehardt tried to stretch it into an inside the park home run but a nice relay by the shortstop to home gunned her down.
 
The Crusaders added an unearned run in the seventh and won the game 7 to 5.
 
Reisenhauer picked up the win in relief while Shannon Mas earned her first save.  Hawkins took the loss for the Fleet.
 
Erskine returns to action this Wednesday playing two games at Newberry College.  The first game begins at 2:00 p.m.