BELMONT, N.C. – The Erskine College baseball team (12-14, 5-6 CC) won a three-game series against Belmont Abbey College (12-12, 9-6 CC) at Abbey Yard over the weekend.

After a 6-1 defeat in the opener on Friday, Erskine swept a doubleheader against Abbey on Saturday, with 12-6 and 8-3 victories to earn a huge series win on the road.

THE ESSENTIALS 
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Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Belmont Abbey 6-1 Erskine
The series opener quickly turned into a "Friday pitchers' duel" as the game headed to the fourth inning scoreless. However, Belmont Abbey broke through with three runs in their half of the fourth and held a commanding 6-0 lead after six innings. Erskine got on the board with an RBI single from Daniel Hernandez in the seventh, but the Fleet offense was held in check as they were defeated on Friday evening.

Game 2: Erskine 12-6 Belmont Abbey
Following a disappointing loss on Friday, Erskine faced an uphill battle to win the series, needing to sweep the doubleheader on Saturday. A second-inning RBI groundout from Tyler Smith opened the scoring in game 1 of the day, and then the Fleet offense went nuclear in the third. Christian Rivera started the party with a two-run home run to make it a 3-0 game. Josean Sanchez singled home Dale Francis, Jr. a few batters later, before the Fleet manufactured the next three runs of the inning, and then Francis, Jr. capped the frame with an RBI single of his own as Erskine exploded for seven runs and had opened up an 8-0 lead. Abbey scored twice in the next half inning, but RBI doubles from Daniel Hernandez and Smith got those two runs right back as the Fleet regained their eight-run advantage. The Crusaders clawed back to within four runs, but another RBI from Smith and a bases-loaded walk in the seventh provided some cushion in the Erskine win. Joe Alegre gave the Fleet five quality innings on the mound, and Cooper Guest slammed the door shut with a scoreless bottom of the seventh to set up a rubber match in Game 3.

Game 3: Erskine 8-3 Belmont Abbey
The Fleet wasted no time building on the momentum they built earlier, as a first-inning, two-run blast from Dale Francis, Jr. handed starter Noah Palmese a quick 2-0 lead. Abbey responded with a run in the second and third innings to tie the game, but Erskine regained the lead in the fifth with Christian Rivera's second home run of the day. The Crusaders tied the game again in the bottom half, but similar to Game 2, the Fleet offense had another crooked inning waiting in the wings. After back-to-back singles from Jude Littrell and Josean Sanchez to open the frame, Ben Maskin was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Then, one of the more unique things you'll ever see happened as the next three Erskine hitters each worked bases-loaded walks to open up a 6-3 lead. Rivera was the ensuing hitter and he "put a cherry on top" of the huge inning with a two-run single as the Fleet plated five runs in the top of the sixth. Reliever Jared Guell, who came in to record the final out of the fifth inning, was dominant the rest of the way, recording the final 13 outs of the game without allowing a run and sealing a huge series win away from home for the Fleet.

THE PLAYER
After a quiet start to the weekend on Friday, redshirt senior Christian Rivera homered in each game of the doubleheader on Saturday, totaling six RBIs on the day and helping the Fleet take a series victory back to Due West.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine is back in action at home this mid-week to welcome in Limestone University (16-12, 8-7 CC) on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Erskine will be hoping to enact some revenge after the Saints defeated the Fleet in a one-run game in Gaffney last month.

MORE ABOUT THE ERSKINE COLLEGE FLYING FLEET

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