Boxscore
LAKELAND, Fla. - The fourth-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles needed a long relief appearance from
Robbie Ratliff on Friday evening in a Sun Conference contest against Southeastern, and that's exactly what they got in a 7-4 victory at Ted A. Broer Stadium. Ratliff entered the game in the third inning, and finished the contest for the Eagles, helping ERAU improve to 29-9 overall and 14-2 in The Sun Conference. The Fire drops to 22-7 on the year and 6-10 in TSC play, they are 0-8 against Embry-Riddle since joining The Sun Conference in 2010.
The Eagles took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, thanks in part to a failed pickoff attempt by Fire starter, Justin Mauldin.
Frankie Arias collected the first of 10 ERAU hits in the very first at-bat of the game, singling through the left side. Mauldin threw over to first to keep Arias honest, but the throw got away from first baseman Adam Kemp, and Arias was able to move to second on the error.
Jeff Lemon moved Arias to third with a flyout to center and
Ben Kline brought in the first Eagle run with a groundout to short.
Southeastern answered back in their half of the first, as the Eagles returned the favor with an error that led to a run. Brandon DeRespiris was the beneficiary of a poor Eagle throw to first base, moving to second on the play. Shane Casey tied the game with a single to center field, plating DeRespiris from second.
Eagle starter
Chad Modomo and Mauldin were able to keep their respective opponnents off the scoreboard in the second, but Eagle coach
Randy Stegall made a change in the bottom of the third, bringing in Ratliff to relieve Modomo. Ratliff tossed a scoreless third and got a lift in the fourth when ERAU took a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly from
Matt Skipper. Skipper plated
Ian MacGeorge from third after the senior doubled to begin the frame and moved to third on a wild pitch.
Bryan Sparrow copied MacGeorge's leadoff double with one of his own in the bottom of the fourth, and his courtesy runner, Josiah Kinchlow was able to score on an Armando Alvarez single through the right side, knotting the score at 2-2.
The fifth inning was the difference maker for the visitors, as the fourth-ranked Eagles plated three runs on two hits to take a 5-2 lead.
Greg Smith and Arias both walked to start the frame, and both moved up a base on a passed ball by SEU catcher Sparrow. Michael Barrett relieved Mauldin with the runners on base, but a Lemon single down the left field line brought in Smith, giving the Eagles the lead for good. Kline was hit by a pitch in the following at-bat, loading the bases. Barrett was able to strikeout
Chris Page for the first out, but MacGeorge singled to shallow left field to plate another Eagle run, pushing the score to 4-2. With the bases loaded for the third time in the inning, Skipper wore a pitch from Barrett to collect his second RBI of the game and give ERAU a 5-2 advantage.
Vinny Caesar kick-started the home-half of the fifth with a single to right, but
Adam Cellini gunned down the SEU shortstop at second when he attempted to steal during the next at-bat.
Barrett worked a scoreless sixth, as did Ratliff, with the Bradenton, Fla. native striking out the final two Fire batters in the frame.
The Blue and Gold got a sixth run in the seventh thanks to a sac fly off the bat of MacGeorge, chasing in Kline from third.
Ratliff ran into his only trouble of the game in the bottom of the seventh as Southeastern plated two runs on three hits to cut the lead to 6-4.
Kline recorded his second hit and second RBI of the contest with a double in the eighth, scoring Arias from second base and extending the Eagle lead to 7-4.
Ratliff induced a groundball double play in the bottom half of the inning, sending ERAU back into the dugout with momentum.
William Glessner entered the game in the top of the ninth for SEU, and effectively shut down the Eagle offense on 14 pitches.
Ratliff worked his second three-up, three-down inning in the ninth, retiring the Fire in order to secure the victory for ERAU.
Ratliff (5-1) got the win for ERAU, pitching seven innings, scattering eight hits and allowing three runs while fanning three.
Kline, MacGeorge and Skipper all collected a pair of RBIs, and Lemon went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. MacGeorge recorded his 100th hit in an Eagle uniform in the contest.
The Eagles and Fire will meet in a doubleheader tomorrow in Lakeland, starting at 12 p.m.
