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LAKE WALES, Fla. – The fifth-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles completed a three-game sweep, all three victories coming on Saturday, against conference foe Warner. ERAU finished off the Royals in the suspended game from Friday night, 17-9, before taking both games of the doubleheader, 13-12 and 12-2. ERAU moves to 8-2 overall and a perfect 6-0 in Sun Conference play while the Royals fall to 3-6 and 0-3.

Suspended Game 1 - Boxscore

Freshman Corey Tufts pitched the bottom of the ninth for ERAU to begin the day. Tufts surrendered one hit but was able to strike out two batters and force a groundout to secure the 17-9 victory. David Lidyard got the win (1-0), as he was one of four pitchers the Eagles used in the contest.

The Eagles scored 17 runs on 19 hits, Chris Page providing six RBIs on four hits, including two homeruns. Frankie Arias was 3-for-5 with four RBIs and Adam Cellini drove in three with his first homer of the season.

Game 2 - Boxscore

The Eagles and Royals battled for nine innings in the middle game of the three-game set, but ERAU was able to score last in a 13-12 nail biter. Five lead changes and eight pitchers were featured in the offensive-flavored contest.

Embry-Riddle jumped out to a two-run lead in the top of the first after RBIs from seniors Ben Kline and Page, the later of which was a sacrifice fly that plated Arias from third.

Chad Modomo surrendered a hit in the bottom-half of the frame, but was able to end the threat when Johnny Groubert grounded out to Modomo to end the inning.

Cellini recorded his second homer of the series with a solo-shot in the second, giving ERAU a 3-0 lead.

The three-run cushion wouldn't last long, as Warner scored twice in their half of the second to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Both Modomo and Warner hurler, Dylan Heiring, kept their opponents from the scoreboard in the third, but a two-RBI single from Sergio Perez gave Warner a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth.

Neither team scored in the fifth, however, the Eagles' offense struck for four runs in the visitor-half of the sixth to take a 7-4 lead. Ian MacGeorge tied the game up with a one-out solo homerun, after which Mike Gragilla was hit by a pitch and JT Warmoth drew a walk. Cellini drew a walk to load the bases for pinch hitter Garrett Gee. Gee hit a hard grounder to third that the WU third baseman was unable to get to in time as a run scored and all runners were called safe. Dalton Kelley relieved Heiring and appeared to induce a double play ball from Tyler Robbins. The Warner shortstop misplayed the ground ball and two runs scored for ERAU.

Warner again cut into the Eagle lead with two runs in the sixth when Brandon Kirby doubled to right center, plating Perez and Brad Benbow.

With a 7-6 lead, the visitors again struck for four runs, this time in the seventh, pushing their advantage to 11-6. Kline started the inning with a single to third base, followed by a Page walk. MacGeorge doubled down the left field line, bringing in Kline and moving Page to third. Gragilla singled to center field scoring both runners in the next at-bat, and the final Eagle run of the frame came on a Greg Smith groundout to second base that brought in Gragilla.

The Royals repeated the Eagles' feat in the bottom of the seventh, scoring four runs on three hits and an Eagle error, once again cutting the lead to one run, 11-10.

ERAU was held scoreless in the eighth, but the Royals retook the lead in their half of the inning, 12-11. Dylan Gross doubled off of Eagle reliever Antwan Brown, scoring one run, and Gross would score later on in the inning when Justin Zanella singled through the right side.

Down to their last three outs, ERAU was in need of a comeback. Warner closer Ryan Ruble entered the game in the top of the ninth, and proceeded to walk the first two batters he faced, MacGeorge and Gragilla. Jeff Lemon stepped to the plate with the chance to tie it up with no outs on the board. His batted ball was fielded by the third baseman, but his throw to first went all the way to the fence, allowing both runners to score, giving ERAU a 13-12 lead.

Lidyard was able to finally shut down the Warner bats in the bottom of the ninth, and the Eagles escaped with the victory, securing the series win.

Lidyard moved to 2-0 with the win while Ruble was tagged in the loss. MacGeorge and Gragilla both drove in two runs while scoring three and two runs respectively. Kline went 3-for-5 in the game.

Game 3 - Boxscore
In the series finale, ERAU was able to keep up their offensive prowess, but Eagle junior Kevin Maloney effectively shut down the Royal bats in a 12-2 win.

In a repeat of the first game of the DH, ERAU plated two runs in the first frame off of Royals' ace Jake Pettit. Page doubled to right center to bring in Kline from first after Robbins came in on a throwing error by Warner SS Chris Meijia.

Robbins brought in the third Eagle run of the game, what proved to be the winning run, with a single in the second inning, scoring Cellini's courtesy runner Jordan Romero.

Warner cut the lead to 3-1 with a single run in the third, but ERAU responded with a five-spot in the top of the fourth to take a commanding 8-1 lead.

Page homered for the third time in the series to bring in two runs and Kline and Arias recorded two and one RBI respectively.

Maloney worked smoothly through the next two innings, however, a single from Adrian Kaplan in the sixth brought in the second Warner run, cutting the lead to 9-2 after a solo home run from Kline in the top of the frame.

The Eagles scored three insurance runs in the top of the ninth, two coming on an RBI double from senior James Podlucky, to stretch the lead to 12-2, and Daniel Eaton closed the game out in the bottom of the inning, stranding two runners on base.

Maloney earned his second win of the year with an eight-inning outing. He scattered 10 hits while striking out five.
Over the weekend, ERAU scored 42 runs in 27 innings.

The Eagles travel to Thomasville, Ga. on Tuesday, Feb. 14 to play Thomas in a single game at 3 p.m.