DUE WEST, S.C. - The Anderson University baseball team opened a four-game road swing with an 18-7 setback to Erskine in nonconference action on a wet Tuesday afternoon at Grier Field.

Anderson fell to 4-7 on the season, while Erskine (11-4) closed out a 15-game season-opening homestand with the win.

Left fielder Michael Rochester was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate for the Trojans, with a solo home run, a single and also drew an eighth-inning walk. Garrett Bernardo reached base all four times with a double, a two-run single, a walk and was also hit by a pitch.

Trojan right-hander Thomas Smith (0-2) took the loss, while allowing five earned runs off six hits in two innings of work.

The Flying Fleet opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out double off the bat of junior Henry Faunce, which brought Sam Cothan around from first base after the Williamston, S.C. native beat out an infield single.

Anderson answered quickly with a solo run in the top of the second frame on Rochester's team-leading third home run of the season - as the Belton, S.C., native pulled an 0-2 pitch down the left-field line.

But Erskine built an 11-1 advantage in the bottom of the third inning by plating seven runs and recording four extra-base hits before the Trojan defense recorded an out. The Fleet sent 14 batters to the plate during the 10-run inning, while putting the game out of reach.

The Trojans added another run in the top of the fifth inning after Travis Smith and Rochester opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Both runners moved up on Xavier Peralta's grounder to the right side and Travis Smith scored on Stephen McKnight's sacrifice fly to left. Erskine countered with three runs in the bottom of the frame and two each in the sixth and seventh innings to push out to an 18-2 lead.

AU pushed three more runs across the plate in the eighth inning and two in the ninth on Garrett Bernardo's two-out double to set the final score.

Anderson opens South Atlantic Conference play with a three-game weekend series at Lincoln Memorial, beginning on Friday. First-pitch in Harrogate, Tenn. is set for 4 p.m.