FLORENCE, S.C. – The Erskine College baseball team (19-18, 11-9 CC) defeated Francis Marion University (14-22, 6-15 CC) in both games of a doubleheader to seal a series sweep on the road at Sparrow Stadium on Saturday.

THE ESSENTIALS 
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Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Erskine 5-3 Francis Marion (Final / 7 innings)
Erskine was slow out of the gates to open the day, as Francis Marion struck first in the opening inning with a two-run double. But, in the next half-inning, Christian Rivera led off with a solo home run, his sixth of the season to cut the deficit in half. After a scoreless second inning from Blake Holshouser, Jorge Pascual tripled to right center field, scoring Josean Sanchez and tying the game at 2. Jared Guell took over for Holshouser on the mound after the third inning and kept FMU at bay, sending the game all the way to the seventh inning still knotted at two apiece. Tyler Smith led off the top of the seventh with a base knock, Ben Maskin sacrificed him into scoring position, and a single from David Hernandez moved Smith to third, just 90 feet away from giving Erskine its first lead. Carlos Gonzalez followed by putting the ball in play in the key moment, leading to a Patriots' error that allowed Smith to cross home and put Erskine in front, 3-2. Another FMU error moments later put two runners in scoring position from Daniel Hernandez, who's two-run single gave the Fleet some much-needed insurance heading to the bottom of the seventh. Guell promptly set down the first two Francis Marion hitters of the inning, but three straight hits brought the winning run to the plate. However, Guell would bear down and strikeout the next FMU batter to seal a 5-3 victory in the opener.

Game 2: Erskine 9-5 Francis Marion
Looking for a series sweep, the first inning was problematic for Erskine again in the final game of the weekend, as FMU led 1-0 after the opening frame. Starting pitcher Noah Palmese followed with a zero in his second inning of work, and a Jude Littrell RBI single in the third drew the Fleet level. However, Francis Marion scored three times in the fifth to regain the lead, and the Fleet were forced to come from behind once more. In the sixth, Littrell led off with a base knock and came around to score on an RBI from Jorge Pascual. After a perfect bottom half of the sixth from Cooper Guest, Erskine continued its march down the comeback trail. In the top of the seventh, the Fleet loaded the bases with nobody out, and a a bases-loaded walk drawn by Wilmis Castro scored Christian Rivera and got the Fleet within a run. Moments later, Carlos Gonzalez delivered in a key moment once again, as his sacrifice fly brought home Daniel Hernandez and tied the game. But, the momentum was short-lived as the Patriots regained the lead in the bottom half. Looking to answer in the eighth, Ben Maskin started the next rally by getting hit by a pitch, and then advancing into scoring position on a wild pitch. Rivera followed with a single through the left side, scoring Maskin to tie the game yet again. Dustin Scogins came on for the bottom half of the eighth and breezed through his one inning of work to send the game to the ninth knotted at five apiece. A walk and another hit by pitch served as the rally starters for the Fleet in the ninth, before a wild pitch allowed Gonzalez to scurry home and give the Fleet their first lead of the game. Similar to the first game of the day, Erskine tacked on some insurance runs in the last inning as well, this time thanks to a sacrifice fly from Hernandez before a Tyler Smith two-run double gave Erskine a four-run cushion. Ryan Cole came on out of the bullpen to record the final three outs, but surrendered a leadoff double to begin his afternoon. However, the southpaw settled in after that, stranding that baserunner right there at second and sealing a series sweep for Erskine.

THE PLAYER
Senior outfielder Daniel Hernandez posted multi-hit games in both contests on Saturday. Hernandez did not start Game 1, but came off the bench to record a pair of knocks, including a two-run single in the seventh. In the series finale, Hernandez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, making him a combined 4-for-6 at the dish in the doubleheader.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine returns home for a rematch against Mars Hill University (13-25, 4-17 SAC) on Tuesday 2 p.m. The Lions defeated the Fleet, 11-8, at Mars Hill earlier this season, but the Lions have not won in Due West since the 2018 season.

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