PEMBROKE, N.C. – The Erskine College baseball team (19-12, 9-9 CC) defeated No. 20 UNC Pembroke (24-9, 10-6 CC) by a score of 10-3 at Sammy Cox Field on Friday evening. Joe Alegre gave the Fleet a quality start, and Erskine used home runs from Dale Francis, Jr., Ashby Smith, and Juan Jaime as they pulled away for a series-opening win.

THE ESSENTIALS 
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Starting pitcher Joe Alegre surrendered three baserunners in his first inning of work, but a caught stealing and a pair of huge strikeouts helped him get out of the frame unscathed. Then, in the top of the second, Ashby Smith opened the scoring with a bang; his sixth home run of the season gave the Fleet a 1-0 lead. Alegre settled in and dominated a nationally-ranked Braves team, keeping them off the board through the fifth inning. The Braves tied the game in the sixth with an RBI double, but Alegre stranded the go-ahead run there, and Erskine got another lead-off homerun in the seventh, this time via Dale Francis, Jr. as the Fleet swung back in front, 2-1. Johnny Hummel came on to relieve Alegre in the bottom half of the seventh and promptly struck out the side before Erskine blew the game wide open in the eighth. After a pair of walks to start the inning, Francis, Jr. drove in another run with an RBI single, doubling the Fleet's lead. After a Smith single, Juan Jaime delivered the punishing blow, a monster grand slam over the left field wall, opening up a 7-1 Erskine lead. Hummel cruised through his second inning of work, and the Fleet tacked on some more in the ninth. Jude Littrell tallied an RBI single, and then Francis, Jr. eclipsed double digits with second big fly of the night, capping a 10-3 win to begin the weekend.

THE PLAYERS
Dale Francis, Jr. led the Fleet offense with a 3-for-5 night at the plate, hitting a pair of home runs, bringing his season total to 12, and driving in four runs. Joe Alegre led the way on the mound with arguably his best performance of his collegiate career, pitching six innings, allowing just one run and striking out seven as he earned his sixth win of the season.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine and UNC Pembroke wrap up their weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.

MORE ABOUT THE ERSKINE COLLEGE FLYING FLEET

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