FLORENCE, S.C. – The Erskine College baseball team (14-13, 6-9 CC) lost two of three games in a weekend series against Francis Marion University (15-10, 5-7 CC) at Sparrow Stadium this past weekend. The Fleet scored six runs in the third inning to fuel them to a Game 2 victory, 9-7, but the Patriots took the series opener on Friday, 6-5, and won the rubber match, 13-4.

THE ESSENTIALS 
Conf. Carolinas Standings | Stats | Scores
Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
THE SERIES
Francis Marion holds a narrow 5-3 advantage in the all-time series.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Francis Marion 6-5 Erskine
The Patriots scored three runs in the very first inning to take a commanding lead in the series opener. But, after a slow start offensively, the Erskine offense broke through in the fifth inning thanks to a two-RBI double from Cal Bocchino to get the Fleet on the board and cut the Patriots lead down to 3-2. After Allan Saathoff worked around a two-out walk, the Fleet bats stayed hot in the sixth inning and took their first lead of the game. A Patriots' error helped set up a fielder's choice from Gregory Sanders that scored Kyle Marti and tied the game at 3. Kane Fisher followed with a double that chased the Francis Marion starter, and a safety squeeze bunt from Dalton Boyd scored Sanders to put the Fleet in front, 4-3. Two batters later, Armando Becerra ripped an RBI double to right center field to extend the Fleet lead to 5-3. But, the Patriots answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game before a solo home run from FMU in the seventh inning proved to be the difference as Erskine was unable to rally again, falling in Game 1 of the series, 6-5.

Game 2: Erskine 9-7 Francis Marion
Following a heartbreaking loss in the series opener, the Erskine offense wasted no time jumping out to an early lead as a Christian Rivera RBI single opened the scoring in the very first inning. Erskine starter Connor Harrison put up zeroes in each of his first two innings on the mound before the Fleet offense gave the lefty some real insurance in the top of the third inning. Cal Bocchino, Ashby Smith, Kane Fisher, and Tariq Bacon all had run-scoring singles as part of a six-spot put up by the Fleet to take a commanding 7-0 lead. The Patriots answered back with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, but the Fleet added some more cushion in the fourth thanks to another RBI single from Smith. FMU refused to go away, though, as they scored four times in the bottom half of the inning to cut Erskine's lead down to just one run, 8-7, after four innings. Tariq Bacon provided some insurance in the fifth on a solo home run to straightaway center field and Johnny Hummel slammed the door shut with a "lights-out" three-inning save, allowing just one hit and striking out six to finish off a 9-7 victory for the Fleet in Game 2.

Game 3: Francis Marion 13-4 Erskine
After the Patriots took an early 3-0 lead, the Fleet offense got them right back into the game on a Kyle Marti RBI single and an FMU error to make it a 3-2 game. But, Francis Marion plated four runs in the bottom of the third before adding another run in the fourth to extend its lead to 8-2. An RBI double from Ashby Smith followed by a triple from Kane Fisher to score Smith gave the Fleet some life in the next half inning, but Erskine was unable to get any closer as a five-run seventh inning from the Patriots finished a 13-4 win for Francis Marion in the rubber match of the series.

THE PLAYER
Cal Bocchino was for 6-for-8 at the plate in the first two games of the series with three runs scored and three runs driven in. Bocchino had an RBI single that kickstarted a monster seven-run inning from the Fleet in Game 2.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine stays on the road for a midweek bout with Limestone University (3-27, 1-11 SAC) on Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. at Founders FCU Stadium. Cal Kryska was the hero the first time these teams met, when he delivered a game-winning RBI single in the eighth inning of a 4-3 win in Due West earlier this month.
 
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