Southern Wesleyan will travel to Greenville on March 13 to take on the Limestone Saints at Flour Field, home of the Greenville Drive.
John Bolton | SWU
DUE WEST, SC – The Warriors were unable to pass the Flying Fleet in the final two games of the series on Friday. They dropped game one 12-2 and then fell in game two in an 18-11 final.
Southern Wesleyan picked up five hits in the first game of the afternoon including a double by Cam Mitchem. The Warriors walked three times and Jarrett Whitley had a sacrifice bunt. Christopher Hund started on the mound for the Warriors and pitched four innings while striking out four. He was followed in relief by Jaylen Morgan and Adrian Abad. Morgan struck out three and Abad picked up a solo strikeout.
The Warriors totaled 16 hits in the second game. Clay Porter and Derek Francis picked up doubles. Both Tyler Jackson and Francis recorded two RBIs. Southern Wesleyan walked six times and both Noah Wiggins and Jonny Middlebrooks were hit by pitches. Eric Shelton started on the mound and struck out one. Garrett Swink led the team with two strikeouts.
Game Vitals
Game One Final: Erskine 12, Southern Wesleyan 2
Game Two Final: Erskine 18, Southern Wesleyan 11
Records: Southern Wesleyan (5-17) Erskine (10-13)
How It Happened
Game One
Southern Wesleyan took the first run of game one of the day in the top of the first inning. Jason Culley led off with a walk, but was taken off the bases as Marty Grisso reached on a fielder’s choice. With one out, Cam Mitchem hit a double through the left side to advance Grisso to third base. A balk then allowed Grisso to come in to score to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
A home run by Dale Francis Jr allowed Erskine to take a 2-1 run lead in the bottom of the first inning. They Flying Fleet pushed on with runs in the second and fifth innings to extend their lead to 6-1.
The Warriors struck again in the top of the sixth inning. With one out, Cam Mitchem hit a double to left center field before advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jarrett Whitley. Tyler Jackson hit a single through the left side, but Mitchem was not able to come in to score on the play. With Clay Porter at the plate, a wild pitch brought Mitchem in to score.
Erskine pushed on as they brought six runs in to score in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend their lead to 12-2 to win the game.
Game Two
Erskine struck quickly in the bottom of the first inning as singles by Rivera, Hernand, Smith and Rodriguez allowed the Flying Fleet to bring six runs in to score.
The Warriors countered in the top of the second inning. Luke Staton led off the inning by hitting a single to right field. He advanced to second on a single by Griffin Pickhardt. Blayze Haddock singled through the right side to load up the bases. With the bases loaded, Jason Culley hit a single through the left side to bring Staton in to put the Warriors behind the Flying Fleet 6-1.
The Flying Fleet would not relent as a single by Rivera and a sacrifice fly out by Hernand extended their lead to 8-1.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Warriors challenged the Flying Fleet. Griffin Pickhardt led off the inning by reaching first after an error by the third baseman. Blayze Haddock hit a single through the left side of the field to advance Pickhardt to second base. With one out, Marty Grisso hit a single to right center field to load up the bases. A fielder’s choice put Cam Mitchem on first and allowed Pickhardt to come in to score, but the Flying Fleet could not get the out as an error by the third baseman allowed the bases to remain loaded. Tyler Jackson singled to right center to bring Grisso and Haddock in to score to allow the Warriors to cut the Flying Fleet’s lead in half.
Erskine would not back down as they plated seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend their lead to 15-4. They extended their lead further in the bottom of the fifth inning as they plated two more runs.
Southern Wesleyan challenged in the top of the seventh. With one out, Tyler Jackson walked and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jackson Mix came in to pinch hit and took first on a walk. A single by Luke Staton allowed Jackson to score. With runners at the corners, Chase Gribble walked to load up the bases. Derek Francis came in to pinch hit and flew out to left field to bring Mix in to score. Connor Truax walked to load the bases back up and bring Noah Wiggins up to bat. Wiggins was hit by the pitch to bring in another run for the Warriors.
The Flying Fleet pushed on in the bottom of the seventh as they plated another run.
However, the Warriors would not back down. Coleman Kelly pinch hit for Cam Mitchem and hit a single to center field and then advanced to second as Justin Purdom singled to right field. Jackson Mix knocked the ball to right center field for a single to bring Kelly in to score. A walk to Luke Staton loaded up the bases. A wild pitch brought Purdom in to score. With two runners in scoring position, Chase Gribble hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Mix in to score. Derek Francis drilled the ball to right center field to bring Staton in to score and put the Warriors back within seven runs of the Flying Fleet. However, Erskine went on to win the game in an 18-11 final score.
What’s Next
Southern Wesleyan will travel to Greenville on March 13 to take on the Limestone Saints at Flour Field, home of the Greenville Drive. The Warriors will resume Conference Carolinas action on March 15-16 as they host the Emmanuel Lions.