DUE WEST, S.C. – The Barton baseball team (12-9, 7-4) suffered a doubleheader setback to Erskine (13-10, 5-6), 4-2 and 6-3, Friday morning and afternoon in Conference Carolinas action at Grier Field.
Game One – Erskine 4, Barton 2
The Flying Fleet's Cal Kryska (Wyoming, Mich.) broke a two-all tie in the bottom of the fourth inning with the game-winning RBI single as part of a two-run frame.
Erskine's Christian Rivera (Winter Haven, Fla.) hit an RBI double while Allan Saathoff (Ridgely, Md.) (3-3) pitched five innings and gave up just one earned run with four strikeouts to earn the victory.
Johnny Hummel (Matthews, N.C.) threw two scoreless innings for his fifth save of the year for the Flying Fleet.
For Barton, junior designated hitter
Edward Landron (Orlando, Fla.) drove in a run while senior
Alex Hart (Raleigh, N.C.) (4-1) suffered his first loss of the year despite going the distance and allowing just two earned runs and six strikeouts.
Game Two – Erskine 6, Barton 3
The Flying Fleet's Cal Bocchino (Delray, Fla.) finished with three hits and two runs batted in and Ashby Smith (Gaffney, S.C.) hit the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to lead Erskine to the sweep.
Bocchino added an RBI triple as part of a three-run seventh frame and Dalton Boyd (Winter Haven, Fla.) hit a solo home run for the Flying Fleet in the win. Erskine's Deric Hanko (Irmo, S.C.) (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings of relief to garner the win while Hummel retired the Bulldogs in order in the ninth for another save, his sixth of the year.
Landron connected on a two-run home run for the Bulldogs – his second of the year – to lead the Bulldogs offensively again but
Michael Yuille (Boyds, Md.) (3-2) was tagged with the loss in relief.
Barton and Erskine will wrap up their weekend league series on Saturday with a time to be determined.
