MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The Erskine College baseball team (17-19, 12-9 CC) defeated Chowan University (3-22, 3-18 CC) in all three games in a weekend series at Hawkins Field on Friday and Saturday.

Erskine stayed hot offensively in the opener on Friday with a dominant 24-6 victory, and then Chase Grube shined on the mound in the second game, before the Fleet eased their way to a 13-4 win in the finale.

THE ESSENTIALS 
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Erskine 24-6 Chowan
Danny Villafane's bases-loaded walk opened the scoring in the top of the first, but Chowan's five-run bottom half put the Fleet in a somewhat sizeable deficit after the opening frame. Mason McManus' two-run single and a Chowan error helped the Fleet scratch across three runs in the second, but the Hawks got an RBI single in the bottom half to make it 6-4. Then, the Fleet took total control over the next two innings. Potts started a four-run third inning with an RBI single and then McManus launched a two-run home run to put Erskine back in front, 8-6. In the fourth, the Fleet were hungry for more and saw some deja vu with Potts opening things with an RBI single before McManus left the yard again, this time a grand slam to fuel a big eight-run frame and make it 16-6. Villafane worked another bases-loaded walk in the sixth, and he and Stephen Kriner tallied run-scoring doubles in the seventh, before an RBI single by Jack Luthren capped the scoring for the day, with the Fleet scoring the final 20 runs of the contest. Solid relief efforts on the mound from Jared Guell, Kyle Knoll, and Tanner McNeal kept the Hawks off the board in the last seven innings.

Game 2: Erskine 5-0 Chowan
Erskine wasted no time jumping out in front on Saturday, thanks to a leadoff home run from Drew Potts, his first in an Erskine uniform, and then Jack Luthren and Potts added RBIs in the third and fourth innings as well, making it 3-0. That was more than enough for Erskine starter, Chase Grube, who tossed a complete-game shutout and struck out a career-high 11, as he stole the show on Saturday. Stephen Kriner and Carson Yates each drove in runs in the seventh as the Fleet cruised to a series win.

Game 3: Erskine 13-4 Chowan
In the finale, Noah Hill's RBI single in the second inning gave Erskine the game's first lead, and although Chowan got on the board and tied the game in the third, the Fleet had a big answer. Carson Yates' two-run double put the Fleet back in front and started a five-run inning for the Fleet. Mason McManus and Danny Villafane each added run-scoring singles and a balk allowed Pierce Radke to score and put Erskine in a 6-1 lead. Drew Potts added another in the fifth with an RBI double to make it 7-1. Although Chowan got back within three runs, the Fleet offense posted another crooked number in the eighth to put the game out of reach. Ricky Dober, Jack Luthren, and Hill all delivered RBI singles before Potts and Stephen Kriner drew bases-loaded walks as the Fleet pulled away late to secure a series sweep away from home over the weekend.

THE PLAYERS
Friday's star was Mason McManus, who went 4-for-6 at the plate with a remarkable 8 RBIs. McManus homered twice, including a grand slam in the fourth inning, as part of Erskine's 24-run outburst in the opener. On Saturday, Chase Grube stole the show, going the distance in the second game of the series and posting a complete-game shutout for his third win of the season. The left-hander racked up a career-best 11 strikeouts.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine is on the road all of next week as well, starting with a trip to Claflin University (3-23, 0-18 PBC) on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The Fleet defeated the Panthers, 14-3, in Due West back in February.

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