The 2012 Embry-Riddle Eagles pose with former Negro League player Doc Graham before the game.
Boxscore
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle Eagles wrapped up their 2012 regular season schedule on Tuesday evening at Sliwa Stadium, ending their 52-game slate on a high note with an 8-4 victory over visiting Edward Waters (Fla.). Embry-Riddle improves to 38-14 overall while EWC slips to 22-19-1 on the year.
The Eagles' starter was senior
Daniel Eaton who was in search of his sixth win of the season. The Warner Robbins, Ga. native had all his pitches working early, striking out the first two Tiger batters of the game and five of the first nine opponents he faced.
The Eagles took a 4-0 lead in the third, touching up Tiger starter Trent Petit for five hits.
Nick Godfrey singled through the left side to start things up for ERAU, and his courtesy runner,
Tyler Robbins, moved to second when
James Podlucky sacrificed him over.
Greg Smith singled to center to put runners on first and second for
Jeff Lemon. The Embry-Riddle third baseman collected a pair of RBIs with a double to left, bringing in both Robbins and Smith for a 2-0 Eagle lead. Lemon scored on a wild pitch during
Chris Page's at-bat later in the inning, followed by Page doubling to left with two outs.
Frankie Arias scored his fellow senior with a double down the right field line, bringing the score to 4-0 in favor of the hosts.
EWC got to Eaton in the top of the fourth, scoring three runs (two earned) on three hits to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Edward Waters tied things up in the fifth, but Eaton settled down and stranded two Tigers on the bases to send the game to the bottom of the frame tied at 4-4.
Lemon scored what would prove to be the game-winning run in the Eagle fifth, touching home when Arias singled to center field with two outs.
Robbie Ratliff relieved Eaton in the top of the sixth and was nothing short of masterful, holding the Tigers to just four hits over the final four frames while striking out five batters.
The Eagles put some distance between themselves and EWC in the seventh when
Ian MacGeorge scored on a misplayed ball by the Tigers' right fielder, giving the Eagles a 6-4 lead.
The final runs came in the eighth for the Blue and Gold, one when
Ben Kline tripled to score Smith, and the second when Kline came home on Page's single to right field.
Ratliff struck out two of the final three batters in the ninth, giving the Eagles an 8-4 victory.
Eaton (6-4) worked five innings for ERAU, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits while fanning seven. Ratliff earned his first save as an Eagle in four innings of scoreless relief, striking out five.
Five Eagles collected two hits, with both Arias and Lemon recording two RBIs.
The game marked the final home regular season contest for nine seniors: Arias, Eaton,
Mike Huber, Kline, MacGeorge, Page, Podlucky, Smith and
JT Warmoth.
The Eagles climbed two spots to No. 6 in the fifth edition of the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll released on Teusday. The Eagles received 453 total points in the poll, falling just behind the top five. LSU Shreveport, Oklahoma City, Faulkner (Ala.), Azusa Pacific (Calif.) and Lee (Tenn.) make up the top five.
The Eagles will now enter The Sun Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed and will face either SCAD Savannah or Warner in their opening game. The six-team, double-elimination tournament runs from May 1-5, 2012 at City of Palms Park in Ft. Myers, Fla.
