DUE WEST, SC. – Traveling to South Carolina to close out the opening weekend against Erksine, the Clarion baseball team dropped both halves of a doubleheader to the Fighting Fleet.  The Golden Eagles now 0-4 overall, fell by a score of 14-2 in the first game and by a 4-3 score in the second. 

Kyler Mellott (0-1) fell in the early game, allowing five runs in 4.0 innings pitched. Dereck Pritchard (0-1) took the loss in the second game throwing 5.0 innings, allowing four runs and striking out two. Nick Fugh, Thomas Lavin and Chandler Palyas drove in runs on the day, with Lavin going 1-of-3 in the second game.

The Fighting Fleet tacked on three runs in the bottom of the first, but Clarion answered with a run of their own in the top of the second thanks to Will Constantin who scored when Dan Fox tried to steal second. Clarion scored another run in the top of the third to cut the lead to 3-2 when Fugh singled scoring  Ben Barth from third who singled earlier in the inning.

Erskine answered with two runs in the fourth to build a 5-2 lead and four runs in the bottom of the fifth to put the game 1 out of reach. 

The Fighting Fleet came alive for five runs in the sixth inning, and the Golden Eagles were unable to claw their way back.

The Golden Eagles finished game one with three hits, while committing no errors in the field. Unable to move runners around the bases due to the Erskine pitching, the Golden Eagles stranded six runners on base.

Much like game one, Erskine scored plenty early in the ballgame. The Fleet opened the game with four runs in the bottom of the first inning putting the Clarion bats to the test. The Blue and Gold answered the call scoring one run in the top of third thanks to a Palyas grounder that scored Constantin who walked to lead off the inning.

The Golden Eagle offense kept things rolling in the top of the fourth scoring two runs off a Lavin homer, his first of the young season.  

From that point on it was a pitchers dual as neither team was able to push another run across the plate as the final score ended 4-3. 

Clarion had their chances stranding six runners for the second time in as many games, unable to push a run across.

Clarion will be back in action next weekend when they head to Cary, NC to take on Frostburg State University on February 21, Goldey-Beacom on February 22 and Tiffin on February 23.