DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle Eagles will make a famliar journey next week: a cross-country trip to Lewiston, Idaho for the 2013 Avista-NAIA World Series after the fifth-ranked Eagles held on for a 6-5 win over No. 22 Lindsey Wilson on Saturday evening, relying on their seniors to accomplish the task. Embry-Riddle (48-13) will be making its sixth consecutive, and 12th overall appearance at the World Series from May 24-31, tying Bellevue (Neb.) for the third-most apperances in NAIA history, trailing only Oklahoma City's 14 appearances and Lewis-Clark State's 31. The Blue Raiders (44-19) end their season after going 3-2 in the Daytona Beach Bracket of the 2013 Opening Round. The sixth straight trip to the World Series is the first time in program history the Eagles have accomplished the feat, surpassing former Head Coach Greg Guilliams' teams from 2002-2006.

The slogan for the Blue and Gold since the beginning of fall practice has been "10.7" in reference to the number of miles one would have to walk each day from the first day of practice until the start of the World Series to travel from Daytona Beach, Fla. to Lewiston, Idaho. Embry-Riddle made Head Coach Randy Stegall's vision into a reality on Saturday, opening up a 6-0 lead before holding off a furious Lindsey Wilson rally over the final frames to secure Stegall's sixth trip in as many years as the Eagles' coach.

A fly out to left field ended the contest with the potential tying run at second base in the top of the ninth as senior left-hander Kevin Maloney earned his first save of the year with a perfect inning of relief. It only seemed fitting for Maloney to get the ball in the ninth after posting a career 30-1 record in his three seasons in an Eagle uniform. Maloney fielded a sacrifice bunt for the first out in the frame after the Blue Raiders got their leadoff batter aboard against Jon Rapose, and the Dunedin, Fla. native induced a ground ball to short before the first pitch he threw to Jeandro Andino was flied harmlessly to shallow left field where Liam Goodall camped underneath it for the final out of the game. The fly out to left marked the third consecutive year the Eagles advance to the World Series on that exact play.

Maloney's fellow senior Chad Modomo took the mound to start the game for the Eagles, scattering nine hits and just one earned run over 6.2 innings of work to earn the win. Modomo's team gave him some breathing room right away in the bottom of the first when Jeff Lemon singled in Kyle Chastain and Adam Cellini brought in a run with an RBI single with the bases loaded.

Modomo induced a double play in the top of the second and Jordan Romero collected a sacrifice fly in the home-half of the inning after Tyler Robbins tripled to begin the frame, pushing the Embry-Riddle lead to 3-0.

LWC starter England Smith surrendered his fourth and fifth runs of the contest in the third when Cellini singled up the middle, plating Jordan Johnson and Kevin Lindheim after the pair collected back-to-back base knocks earlier in the inning.

Lemon brought in the final Eagle tally in the fourth off of Aaron Mayfield with a two-out RBI infield single, bringing in Chastain from third.

Scoreless fifth and sixth innings preceeded a three-run seventh for Lindsey Wilson, in an inning that featured a bizzare interpretation of the rules on a force out at second base. With runners on first and second with one out, Leandro Perez took a Modomo pitch back up the middle where Robbins fielded the ball, stumbled getting to second, but touched the base before the runner from first was able to reach safely. The second base umpire ruled that Robbins had the ball in his hand and touched the bag with his glove, not resulting in a force and causing the bases to become loaded for Michael Rosario. Rosario recorded a sac fly before Modomo got the second out and the Eagles' defense committed a throwing error on a ground ball from Jeff Kerian, plating two LWC runs, cutting the lead to 6-3.

The Blue Raiders battled back to within one run in the eighth on four hits, but with runners at first and second and one out the Eagles caught a break as the visitors attempted a hit and run but the batter failed to make contact and Cellini threw the runner out at third for a double play.

Embry-Riddle went quietly in the eighth and the Blue Raiders appeared en route to another run in the ninth before Maloney entered to slam the door shut and preserve the one-run victory.

Modomo moved to 7-2 with the win while Smith fell to 6-6 with the defeat.

Cellini finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and Lemon went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored.

The Eagles will await the final two Opening Round games for their first round opponent out in Lewiston, Idaho.