DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine College baseball team (3-2) started off the weekend strong with a pair of wins to open a four-game set against Thomas Jefferson University (0-2) on Friday afternoon at Grier Field. The Fleet offense exploded for 14 runs in a convincing 14-1 win in Game 1 and came back from an early deficit to win Game 2, 7-4.

THE ESSENTIALS 
Conf. Carolinas Standings | Stats | Scores
Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
THE SERIES
This weekend marks the first ever meeting between the Fleet and the Rams.

HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME 1: Erskine 14-1 Jefferson
After Allan Saathoff worked around a one-out hit in the top half of the first inning, the Erskine offense wasted no time getting on the board. Cal Kryska led off by reaching on an error, stole second base, advanced to third on a flyout, and scored on a wild pitch as the Fleet manufactured the game's first run. The Fleet added two more runs in the second inning thanks to some aggressive baserunning from Tariq Bacon and a two-out RBI single from Kane Fisher. Kyle Marti plated another run for Erskine in the fourth with a run-scoring hit to make it a 4-0 game. Armando Becerra scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-0 in the fifth before the Fleet broke the game wide open in the sixth inning. Marti drew a one-out walk and scored moments later on a Fisher RBI double as the bottom of the Erskine order continued to produce in Game 1. Then, Becerra added a run-scoring single of his own before Cal Bocchino capped the inning with a two-RBI single as Erskine opened up a 9-0 lead in the sixth inning. And Bocchino was not done yet as he launched a mammoth two-run home run in the eighth to start a five-run eighth inning for the Fleet. Joseph Quintana laced an RBI single back up the middle off the bench in his Erskine at-bat and Sion Barnette and Kryska tallied RBIs later in the frame. Saathoff surrendered just one hit over five shutout innings where he struck out nine batters to earn his first win of the season. Blake Tipmore and Joe Alegre each gave a solid two-inning performance out of the bullpen to finish off a convincing 14-1 win in Game 1.

GAME 2: Erskine 7-4 Jefferson
Kryska manufactured the game's first run again in Game 2 of the doubleheader as he led off the game for the Fleet with a single, stole second, and scored on a wild pitch in what was nearly a carbon copy of how the Fleet began Game 1. But, the Erskine bats were held in check after scoring its first run, while the Jefferson offense flexed its muscles for the first time. In the third inning, a hit by pitch and a walk issued by Fleet starter Daniel Vos led to a three-run home run from the Rams to take their first lead, 3-1. But, the lead was short lived for the visitors as Erskine answered right back in the bottom half of the third. Bocchino legged out an infield hit to score a run before Kryska took advantage of a throwing error to cross the plate and tie the game. Then, two batters later, Christian Rivera ripped a double down the line to score Bocchino and put the Fleet back in front, 4-3. Bocchino added to Erskine's lead his next time up with a huge two-out, two-run single to give the Fleet some insurance in the fourth inning, 6-3. Jefferson got a run back in the fifth but a sacrifice fly from Kryska in the sixth regained Erskine's three-run lead, and Johnny Hummel slammed the door shut with a perfect seventh inning as the Fleet swept the doubleheader to open the four-game series against the Rams with a 7-4 win in Game 2.

THE PLAYER
Cal Bocchino was a combined 5-for-10 at the plate and totaled 7 RBIs over the two games as he provided a number of clutch hits on Friday for the Fleet.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine and Thomas Jefferson University will wrap up their four-game series with another doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. 
 
MORE ABOUT THE ERSKINE COLLEGE FLYING FLEET

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