ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The Erskine College baseball team (7-5) defeated Claflin University (1-8) in both games of a doubleheader to conclude their weekend series at Historic Mirmow Field on Saturday.

THE ESSENTIALS 
Conf. Carolinas Standings | Stats | Scores
Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Erskine 11-0 Claflin
While it took the Fleet offense awhile to get going in the series opener yesterday, Erskine wasted no time taking an early lead today, as a Jorge Pascual RBI single in the opening frame put the Fleet in front almost immediately. Josean Sanchez added a run-scoring single of his own in the second, and that looked to be enough breathing room with the way starting pitcher Alex Heintz was dealing on the mound. Heintz had a stretch of four consecutive strikeouts in the early stages and did not allow a baserunner until the third inning. He ran into some trouble in that third inning, but escaped a bases loaded jam to preserve the Fleet's lead. In the next half inning, Erskine added to its advantage on RBIs in consecutive at-bats from Christian Rivera, Ben Maskin, and Pascual to open up a 5-0 lead. Heintz struck out the side in order in the bottom half to keep the momentum in the Fleet dugout, and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Wilmis Castro in the sixth gave Erskine another insurance run. Heintz fanned two more hitters in the bottom of the sixth before giving way to the bullpen for the final three frames. But, not before Adrian Rolon joined the party, launching a two-run home run in the top of the seventh for his big fly in an Erskine uniform. Griff Taylor followed suit with his first home run for the Fleet in the eighth and a two-run single from Sanchez capped the scoring outburst. Meanwhile, a combination of Nick Hyde, Dustin Scogins, and Ira Clifton struck out six Panthers in their work out of the bullpen to seal an 11-0 Erskine win.

Game 2: Erskine 14-3 Claflin (Final / 7 innings)
In the fourth and final game of the weekend, the first-inning Fleet were at it again, dropping a five-spot in their first trip to the plate. Daniel Hernandez opened the scoring with an RBI double, and then Carlos Gonzalez delivered a two-run single before Adrian Rolon hit his second home run of the day as Erskine starter Jared Guell had a 5-0 lead before he even took the mound. Guell set down the side in order, and Wilmis Castro and Hernandez each had run-scoring hits to extend the lead to 8-0 after two innings. Guell continued to keep Claflin off the board, and a fourth-inning wild pitch allowed Ben Maskin to score the ninth run of the game for the Fleet. Maskin turned run-provider in the next inning, with a two-out, two-run double to make it an 11-0 game. The Panthers got on the board in the bottom half of the fifth, but Brady Tucker came on in relief to limit the damage. Erskine eventually got those three runs back, thanks to an RBI double from Hernandez and then a Claflin error that scored both Hernandez twins in the seventh inning. Nick Pazos put the finishing touches on a Fleet sweep with a 1-2-3 bottom half of the seventh to finish off a 14-3 victory.

THE PLAYER
Freshman Adrian Rolon stole the limelight offensively on Saturday, going a combined 4-for-8 in the doubleheader, including a home run in each game. Rolon finished the day with five runs scored and four RBIs to lead the way for an Erskine offense that totaled 25 runs on the day.

WHAT'S NEXT?
After an extensive 11-game road trip, Erskine returns home briefly for a mid-week bout against Lincoln Memorial University (8-2, 3-0 SAC) on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Erskine took down the Railsplitters in Due West last season, a 9-6 victory that handed LMU its first loss of the year.

MORE ABOUT THE ERSKINE COLLEGE FLYING FLEET

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