DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine College baseball team (16-18, 8-9 CC) was defeated by Lander University (23-11, 10-5 PBC) by a score of 22-20 at Grier Field on Tuesday.

Erskine trailed 11-0 and 18-6 in the game, but fought back and took a lead heading into the eighth, but were unable to hold on in the final frames.

THE ESSENTIALS 
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The first inning bit the Fleet again on Tuesday, as Lander began the game scoring seven runs on 10 hits in the opening frame and added four more in the top of the second, leading 11-0 after an inning and a half. Three-run home runs from Adrian Rolon and Jorge Pascual in the bottom half started the Fleet on the comeback trail, cutting the deficit to five. But, the Bearcats answered back with a run in the third and six in the top of the fourth, handing the Fleet a sizeable 18-6 deficit. However, Erskine refused to go quietly, as Dale Francis, Jr. joined on in on the three-run home run party for the Fleet, launching one in the fourth and fifth innings to cut the Lander lead in half. Cooper Guest came on out of the Fleet bullpen and played a huge role in Erskine's comeback efforts, setting down seven consecutive hitters at one point to keep the potent Bearcats offense at bay. In the sixth inning, RBIs from Tyler Smith, David Hernandez, and Josean Sanchez got the Fleet even closer, trailing by just three heading into the final three innings. Guest posted another zero in the top half of the seventh, getting the Erskine bats right back up to the plate. A pair of hit by pitches and a walk loaded the bases for Erskine to begin the bottom half of the seventh, followed by a sacrifice fly from Ben Maskin, scoring Francis, Jr. A few pitches later, Rolon doubled down the left field line, plating Christian Rivera to get the Fleet within a run. A wild pitch brought home Jude Littrell to tie the game, and then an RBI groundout from Smith, scored Rolon and Erskine had come all the way back from 12 down to take a 19-18 lead, going into the eighth inning. Lander tied the game in the top of the eighth with a leadoff home run, and manufactured three more runs in their half of the ninth to regain the lead. The Fleet continued to put up a fight, as an RBI double from Smith brought the tying run to the plate with two outs, but the Fleet were unable to overcome their final hurdle of the afternoon, dropping a heartbreaker to conclude the season series with the Bearcats.

THE PLAYER
As expected in a 20-run performance, Erskine got production from all over its lineup on Tuesday afternoon, but Dale Francis, Jr. led the way, launching three-run home runs in the fourth and fifth innings to kickstart the Fleet's comeback efforts. The redshirt junior first baseman was also hit by a pitch twice and drew a walk, reaching base in five of his six plate appearances.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine goes on the road this weekend for a three-game series with Francis Marion University (14-19, 6-12 CC), starting Friday at 6 p.m. The Patriots ended the Fleet's season last year, winning 3-1 in the opening round of the 2023 Conference Carolinas Tournament.

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