COLUMBUS – The Columbus State University baseball team scored six runs in the fourth inning and then held on for a 9-8 victory over Erskine Friday afternoon. The nonconference game took place at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field.

After falling behind 3-1 after three and a half, the Cougars erupted for six in the fourth and added two more in the fifth to grab a 9-1 lead. However, Erskine rallied to make it a game again.

"Our bats got going a bit today and we needed it," said head coach Greg Appleton. "Our bullpen threw pretty well today getting timely outs and that's what you need from those guys down there.

"I've been pleased with how a few guys are swinging the bat and we need to keep scoring runs if we want the sweep tomorrow."

The two teams traded runs in the third as the Cougars tied it at one after a Justin Evans inside out single to right. However, Erskine (1-2) struck for a two-run home run off of CSU starter Brandon Kohler to make it a 3-1 game.

Columbus State (2-0) had an answer again in the fourth as the first six batters recorded hits to start the inning. Grant Berry and Mason McClellan led the inning off with back-to-back singles, while Lake Hart followed by ripping a very long single to the right-center gap that chased home Berry. Miles Cameron loaded the bases with a single to right to bring up Bryce Delevie.

Delevie would put the ball in play, hitting a hard ground to third that the third baseman dove for, but the ball deflected away allowing everyone to be safe to tie the game at three.

After a pitching change, Turner Vincent had the big blow in the inning with a double just past the third base bag putting the Cougars in front 5-3. Evans and Gunar Drinnen added RBI groundouts in the inning to make it 7-3.

In the fifth, Mason McClellan and Hart got the hit train rolling again as McClellan singled and Hart doubled to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Erskine would get back-to-back outs, but a wild pitch and a single by Vincent made it 9-3 CSU before the inning ended.

The Flying Fleet would get back in the game in the sixth. With two outs and runners on first and second, a throwing error kept the inning alive and allowed a run to score. A batter later, it was 9-7 as Erskine hit a three-run homer to left-centerfield.

Erskine threatened to tie the game in both the eighth and the ninth. The Flying Fleet made it a one-run game in the eighth after getting back-to-back doubles with two outs. However, freshman Jalen Latta got out of the jam with a soft fly out to right-center.

In the ninth, Erskine put the tying and go-ahead runs on the basepaths with one out as Kolton Ingram walked a pair of batters. Ingram settled in though, getting a strikeout and a foul out to first base to close out his second consecutive game.

The bottom of the Cougar order got things going today as the fifth through ninth batters went a combined 11-for-20 with eight runs scored and five RBIs. Vincent was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Delevie was 3-for-4 with a run batted in. Mason McClellan, Hart and Cameron all finished 2-for-4.

Koehler got a no-decision after throwing four innings allowing three runs on six hits. Perez Knowles (1-0) got the win allowing four unearned runs in two innings of work. Latta just allowed a run on two hits in his two innings, while Ingram threw a hitless ninth.

The Cougars and Erskine will close out the series Saturday afternoon. First pitch is at noon.