DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine College baseball team (7-7, 3-3 CC) split a doubleheader against No. 16 Young Harris College (10-4, 5-1 CC) to close out a three-game series at Grier Field on Saturday afternoon.

Senior outfielder J.T. Yaccarino went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate in Game 1, and then had a bases-clearing triple in the series finale win for the Fleet.

THE ESSENTIALS 
Conf. Carolinas Standings | Stats | Scores
Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Young Harris 12-6 Erskine (Final / 7 innings)
After YHC took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, J.T. Yaccarino launched a leadoff home run over the right field fence to get the Fleet on the board in the bottom half of the inning. The Mountain Lions got the run back in the top of the third, but again the Fleet hit a leadoff blast in the bottom half, this time off the bat of Jude Littrell. A few batters later, Jorge Pascual delivered an RBI double to tie the game at 3. Young Harris regained its lead in the top of the sixth, but once more, the Fleet had an immediate response. A balk allowed Quinn Allen to cross home, and a few moments later, Josean Sanchez came through with an RBI single to draw the Fleet level at five apiece heading into the final inning. However, the Mountain Lions scored seven times in the seventh, and this deficit was too much for the Fleet to climb, as they lost the first game of the day.

Game 2: Erskine 4-2 Young Harris
In the series finale, Erskine starting pitcher, Roman Edwards delivered a strong performance, keeping YHC off the board through the first three innings. That allowed the Fleet to strike first, and it came in the second, as JT Yaccarino missed a grand slam by a matter of feet, but settled for a bases-clearing triple, where Yaccarino eventually scored on the play after a Mountain Lions error and catcher's interference on the play at the plate, giving Erskine a 4-0 lead. The Fleet bats cooled off after Yaccarino's big swing, but the Erskine pitching staff carried the load the rest of the way. Edwards departed after five and two-thirds innings, allowing just one earned run, as he earned his first win as a member of the Fleet. Jared Guell tossed two-and-a-third scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and Chris Giordano earned the save, by retiring the side in order in the ninth, as Erskine salvaged the final game of the weekend.

THE PLAYER
After not playing in the series opener on Friday, JT Yaccarino was instrumental for the Fleet offense in the doubleheader on Saturday. The Ocala, Florida native went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and a home run in Game 1, and then followed that up by going 2-for-4 with a three-run triple that provided all the scoring for the Fleet in Game 2. In total, Yaccarino posted six hits and technically hit for the cycle across the first nine innings of the day, albeit across two separate games.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine goes on the road for a mid-week battle at Newberry College (10-5, 3-3 SAC) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. It will be the Fleet's first trip to Newberry since the 2019 season.

MORE ABOUT THE ERSKINE COLLEGE FLYING FLEET

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