DUE WEST, S.C. -- Erskine jumped out to a 4-0 lead Tuesday afternoon and registered an 8-3 non-conference victory over Augusta State at Grier Field.

The 15th-ranked Flying Fleet combined three hits and a pair of walks from Jaguar starter Stephen Ramsey in the bottom of the first into four runs.

EC extended its lead to 6-0 with single runs in the third and fifth innings before the Jags scratched through with a run in the sixth on freshman second baseman Jeff Rice's solo home run.

The Fleet (10-0) got single runs in the sixth and seventh for an 8-1 advantage before ASU freshman Colby Adeeb slapped a two-run single in the eighth, plating Rice and senior first baseman Andy Onufrak.

Rice went 2-for-4, while junior Caleb Saggus was 2-5 and sophomore Jake Sutton added a hit.  Ramsey (0-1) was saddled with the loss, allowing four earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work. Six Jaguar relievers combined to give up just three hits and three runs over the final four innings.

Zach Smith paced the Fleet with a 2-for-4 afternoon that included a double and an RBI, while Casey Winckowski was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Heath Gray picked up his first win of the season, yielding just one run on three hits and striking out eight in 7.0 innings of work.

The Jags kick off their 2011 Peach Belt Conference this weekend when they host Flagler in a three-game series at Lake Olmstead Stadium. A doubleheader is slated for Saturday, Feb. 26 at 1:00 p.m., with a single game set for Sunday at 1:00 p.m.