Tweet #eraubaseball

Boxscore

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The fifth-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles bounced back from a Wednesday loss with an offensive showcase on Thursday night, over-powering Aquinas (Mich.), 15-4. ERAU improves to 18-6 overall while the Saints dip to 3-5 on the year.

True freshman Corey Tufts got the first start in his Embry-Riddle career and was in control for much of his five-inning outing. Tufts set down the Saints in order to begin the game and would only give up six hits in the contest.

The Blue and Gold gave their starter an early lead when Ian MacGeorge came through with a two-out RBI single down the right field line that scored Frankie Arias in the bottom of the first. Arias began the inning with a single before moving to second via a stolen base.

Michael Wood tied the ball game up in the top of the second with a leadoff homer that cleared the fence in left field, but Tufts recovered and got the next three Saints to go down quietly.

ERAU left one man on base in the second, and the Saints threatened to take the lead in the visitor-half of the third when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Tufts got a big flyout from Wood to end the inning and give the Eagles the momentum.

Embry-Riddle took the lead for good in their half of the third, plating a pair of unearned runs to take a 3-1 lead. Jordan Romero and Ben Kline were the beneficiaries of two Saint errors to begin the frame, and after Chris Page walked to load the bases, MacGeorge brought in the two lead runners with a single to left field.

Tufts gave up a single in the fourth, but struck out Brent Steele for the third out, sending his team back to the plate where they would blow the game open with a five-run inning.

Romero recorded the first two of his five RBIs on the night with a single through the left side that scored both Greg Smith and Mike Gragilla. Kline later plated a run with an RBI single and Page recorded a sacrifice fly that brought the score to 7-1. After Kline stole second, MacGeorge singled him home for the eighth run of the day.

The Saints showed some resiliency in the fifth, pushing across three runs against Tufts, however, Tufts cut the rally off with three straight groundouts.

The Eagles got two runs back in the seventh when JT Warmoth came home on a throwing error by the Aquinas shortstop and when Romero singled home Arias in the next at-bat.

Eric Green, who relieved Tufts in the sixth, had no trouble against the Saint batters, giving up only one hit in three frames while striking out a pair.

Another five-run inning in the eighth accounted for the 15-4 final. Romero notched his fourth and fifth RBIs with a double to left and both Kline and MacGeorge added an RBI apiece in the frame.

Antwan Brown closed things out for the Eagles, facing just four batters and striking out Josh Drake to end the game.

Tufts (1-0) earned his first collegiate victory, tossing five innings, giving up four runs on six hits. Green and Brown did not allow a run on one hit each.

Romero had the best game of his college career, going 4-for-6 with five RBIs and three runs, while MacGeorge also brought in five runs on four hits. Overall, the Eagles pounded out 17 hits compared to eight for the Saints.

The Eagles host Indiana Tech on Saturday and Sunday, with a doubleheader scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sat. and a single game slated for a 1 p.m. start on Sun.