HARDEEVILLE, S.C. – The seventh-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles collected 10 hits and were the beneficiaries of five Sand Shark errors in a 9-0 shutout of the 21^st-ranked University of South Carolina Beaufort. Kevin Maloney (2-0) tossed 7.2 scoreless innings for the Blue and Gold, striking out six en route to his 21^st career victory. The Eagles (7-1, 4-0) and Sand Sharks (3-5, 1-3) conclude their series tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.

Embry-Riddle started strong and never looked back, reaching a season-high run total in just the second inning, while Maloney cruised through the USCB lineup until giving way to Jon Rapose with two outs in the eighth.

Kevin Lindheim picked up the first of two RBIs on the day with a sacrifice fly to right field in the top of the first that was dropped by the USCB outfielder, allowing Jordan Johnson and Kyle Chastain to score after they reached base in the first via a walk and a double respectively, giving the visitors an early 2-0 lead.

The Sand Sharks put runners on the corners in their half of the inning, but Maloney ended the threat when Terry McClinton grounded out to second to send the Eagles back to the plate.

The second inning proved to be all Embry-Riddle as the Eagles scored five runs off of USCB starter Miles Galvin, extending the lead to 7-0. Three straight hits to begin the frame by Liam Goodall, Adam Cellini and Alex Church accounted for the first run of the frame, and when Johnson reached on a fielder's choice in the next at-bat before moving to second on another USCB error, Connor Williams, courtesy running for Cellini, touched home to make it a 4-0 Eagle lead.

Tyler Robbins plated a run with a single through the right side after Church scored on a wild pitch and moved to second when the throw came home. A few batters later, Lindheim brought in Robbins with an RBI groundout to short, accounting for the seventh run of the afternoon.

Maloney kept the Sand Sharks off the scoreboard and after his initial start, Galvin settled in and kept the Eagles at bay until the fifth. Matt Jacobs doubled to begin the inning and later scored on a wild pitch by Galvin.

The Blue and Gold struck again in the seventh on a Cellini single up the middle, scoring Lemon and accounting for the final Eagle run of the day.

Rapose entered in the eighth after Maloney got two outs, and despite giving up a double, pitched the final 1.1 innings without surrendering a run.

Maloney's 7.2 innings was his longest outing of the 2013 season and his six Ks ties a season-high mark. The combined shutout was the first for the Eagles' pitching staff since a 2-0 shutout against Auburn-Montgomery in the Opening Round on May 11 of last season.

Cellini went 3-for-4 for the Eagles, while Lindheim collected a pair of RBIs. Embry-Riddle did not commit an error for the first time this season.