YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The Erskine College baseball team (25-24, 19-13 CC) split a doubleheader against No. 13 Young Harris College (35-13, 24-7 CC) to start a three-game series at Zell B. Miller Field on Friday afternoon.

After weather moved the doubleheader up to Friday, Erskine bounced back from a game one defeat with a complete performance in game two. Danny Villafane, Quinn Allen, and Ricky Dober all homered and a combination of Chase Grube and Kyle Knoll on the mound held a potent YHC offense in check.

THE ESSENTIALS 
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Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Young Harris 14-8 Erskine
The Fleet used a big first inning to jump out to an early lead, as Danny Villafane and Ricky Dober each drove in runs in the top of the first before a two-run blast from Noah Hill gave Erskine a 4-0 lead after half an inning. Another Villafane RBI in the top of the third regained the Fleet's four-run advantage, but Young Harris scored eight runs over its next two innings at the plate to take a commanding lead. Mason McManus, Carson Yates, and Jack Luthren each added RBIs over the next four innings, but it was not enough to keep up with the high-octane Mountain Lions offense in the opener.

Game 2: Erskine 8-5 Young Harris (Final / 7 innings)
The Fleet moved their focus to the back half of the doubleheader and again got an early start thanks to a two-run home run from Danny Villafane in the first inning. Stephen Kriner's RBI triple in the second answered the Mountain Lions' first run of the contest, and after YHC tied the game in bottom half, Quinn Allen's massive three-run home run in the third put Erskine back in front, 6-3. That scoreline held up, in large part due to an outstanding relief effort from Kyle Knoll, who pitched the final four innings of the game and kept the Fleet in front. Meanwhile, a Mason McManus RBI single in the sixth and a big fly from Ricky Dober in the seventh provided some insurance as the Fleet knocked off a top-15 opponent and earned a huge win in terms of their conference tournament seeding implications.

THE PLAYER
Quinn Allen got the start at first base in game two of the doubleheader and provided a big offensive spark in just his 14th start of the year. Allen went 2-for-4 at the plate, including a three-run home run in the third that put the Fleet in front for good. Allen has now homered in each of his last two starts after launching his first big fly of the year last Saturday against No. 8 Francis Marion.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine wraps up the series and regular season with one final game against No. 13 Young Harris on Saturday at 8 a.m. in a game that has been pushed up into the morning hours due to inclement weather in the forecast later in the day.

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