DUE WEST, S.C. – Host Erskine College took advantage of some 2-out lightning here Friday afternoon to hand the debuting West Liberty University baseball team a 9-2 loss at Grier Field.
    The Flying Fleet (5-1) exploded for five runs in the bottom of the third and added three more in the bottom of the fourth – all with two out – to take an insurmountable 8-0 lead and spoil the season opener for Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers.
    West Liberty was held to just four hits in the nine-inning game but dented the scoreboard for the first time this season with a 2-run uprising in the top of the eighth.
    A pair of walks and an infield error brought the first run of the season across the plate for the Black and Gold and Dalton Davis made it a crooked number with a 2-out RBI double down the left field line.
    Tyler Blomquist and Sean Orillion combined for some solid relief work out of the WLU bullpen, holding the potent Erskine offense to just one run on five hits over the final 4.2 frames.
    The teams are scheduled to return to Grier Field on Saturday for a noon doubleheader.
  West Liberty              000 000 020 – 2    4  1
Erskine (S.C.)             005 300 01x – 9  10  2
     WLU: Dyson lp (3SO, 3W), T.Blomquist (4) (1SO, 2W), Orillion (6) (1SO, 0W) and Davis, Fike (8). Davis D, rbi
     EC: Calvert wp (5SO, 1W), Issacs (6) (2SO, 1W), Futrell (8) (0SO, 2W), Hanko (9) (2SO, 0W) and Warken. Vella HR, S, 3rbi; Everett D, S, 2rbi; Yniesta 2S, 2rbi