DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine College developmental baseball team won a pair of games in the first round of the 2024 Conference Carolinas Developmental Championship at Grier Field on Monday afternoon. The Fleet jumped out to an early lead against Belmont Abbey and hold off a furious Crusaders rally for an 8-7 win in Game 1, and then Erskine used an 8-run seventh inning to get past King, 12-5.

THE ESSENTIALS 
Conf. Carolinas Standings | Stats | Scores
Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Erskine 8-7 Belmont Abbey
Erskine and Belmont Abbey had an early 10 a.m. start to begin the day, but both offenses came ready to go. Abbey scored twice in the first inning to take an early lead, but it didn't take long for the Fleet to strike back. Zion Clonts led off the bottom of the first with a single up the middle, then stole second base, before Chaz Knight roped a triple into the right center field gap to score Clonts and get Erskine on the board. A few batters later, Ryan Turner dropped down a safety squeeze bunt to bring home Knight and tie the game at two after one hectic inning. Both starters posted zeroes in the second, and then the Fleet bats came back to life in the third inning. Brandon Abdala led off with a double and Banks Starbuck followed with a base knock, setting the stage for Erskine to take its first lead. Logan Palma drove both in a few pitches later and the Fleet led, 4-2. Some free passes taken by the Erskine hitters ensued, the latest being a bases-loaded walk drawn by Zion Clonts to extend the lead to 5-2 after three innings. After a shaky opening inning, starting pitcher Vito Dorio settled in and stifled the Belmont Abbey offense for most of the day, taking control through the middle frames. In the fifth, Palma cranked a leadoff triple and scampered home on a wild pitch to give Dorio a now four-run cushion. Dorio cruised through the top of the sixth, and a double steal followed by an RBI single from Ryan Turner in the bottom half ended up being much-needed insurance for Erskine. In the top of the seventh, Belmont Abbey made one final push, scoring five times in their last at-bat and bringing the tying run to the plate. But, Dorio and the Fleet held on for an 8-7 win in the opening game of the day.

Game 2: Erskine 12-5 King
Following an Erskine win to begin the day and a Belmont Abbey win over King, Erskine controlled its own destiny in a rematch of a thriller between these teams from a season ago. And this year's contest looked to be just as exciting. Banks Starbuck opened the scoring with an RBI single in the very first inning as the Fleet manufactured the game's first run. As would become routine throughout the afternoon, King immediately answered with a run of its own in the bottom half, and then a Tornado solo home run in the second gave them their first lead. That scoreline remained the same going into the fifth inning, as starting pitcher Jackson Sullivan found his rhythm, but Erskine still trailed by a run. In the top of the fifth, Erskine used a couple of walks to build a threat, and a sacrifice fly from Zion Clonts drew the Fleet level. King answered back with a run of its own in the top of the sixth to regain the lead, Erskine responded in the bottom half. Brandon Abdala led off the inning with a single back up the middle, stole second, stole third, and scored an RBI from Ryan Turner to tie the game yet again. This time, though, the Fleet weren't done after just one run, as an error extended the inning, leading to a wild pitch, which allowed Starbuck to cross the plate and hand Erskine a lead, 4-3. However, the Tornado struck back with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth, sending the game to the seventh and final inning tied at four. After giving and taking runs in a tightly contested affair for most of the game, the Fleet finished with a bang, posting a crooked number in their final at-bat of the afternoon. Mason Holman came off the pinch to slap a leadoff single into right field and Clonts followed with a base knock of his own to set the table. Back-to-back walks allowed Holman to cross home, putting Erskine back in front. Then, a wild pitch scored Clonts, before a dropped third strike led to Abdala crossing the plate and handing the Fleet a 7-4 lead. And Erskine was far from done, as Logan Palma drew a walk of his own and then Kipp Thornton lined a two-run single into left field, extending the Fleet's lead. Moments later, Matthew Martin delivered an RBI single of his own, before a Chaz Knight run-scoring hit capped a remarkable eight-run seventh inning for the Fleet, and get them three outs away from advancing. Gene Blackmon, who came on in relief of Sullivan in the fifth inning, went back out to the mound to seal the win and did just that with a strikeout and a pair of flyouts, putting the finishing touches on a 12-5 victory.

THE PLAYER
As evidenced by the seventh-inning of Game 2 and the Fleet having to just use three pitchers combined on the day, Monday was a real team effort on both sides of the ball for the Fleet. But, senior outfielder Brandon Abdala was the catalyst for the Erskine offense, going a combined 3-for-6 at the plate with a team-leading five runs scored between the two games.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine advances to the semifinal round of the 2024 Conference Carolinas Developmental Championship on Monday, April 15, where the Fleet will take on Barton College at 3 p.m. The semifinals and championship rounds will be played next Monday and hosted by Francis Marion University. The Patriots and Southern Wesleyan University are the other semifinalists in the event.
 
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