DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle baseball team continued its streak of splitting conference doubleheaders on Saturday afternoon, dropping the day's opener 7-1 to visiting Ave Maria before rallying late in the series finale for the 4-3 win against the Gyrenes. The Eagles (28-9, 12-3) took the season series two games to one, and hold a two-game lead over both St. Thomas (16-5) and Webber International (13-5) in the loss column with both opponents yet to play Embry-Riddle this year. Ave Maria (26-15, 11-7) stands in fourth place in the league standings with three conference series left to play. The Blue and Gold travel to Mt. Vernon, Ga. for a non-conference doubleheader against Brewton-Parker on Tuesday, Apr. 2 at 2 p.m. before playing the Daytona Cubs in the two teams' annual exhibition contest at Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Wednesday, Apr. 3 at 7:05 p.m. The Eagles travel to Opa-locka, Fla. for a three-game conference series against Florida Memorial next weekend.

Game 1
Chad Modomo and Joe Bocchino dueled in the first game of the day, each posting three shutout innings to open the contest. However, the Gyrenes struck for seven runs combined in the fourth and fifth frames, a deficit the home team could not overcome against Bocchino and the visitors.

Three hits for Ave Maria along with a hit by pitch to start the inning led to three runs for the Gyrenes in the fourth. Modomo struck out two Ave Maria batters in the inning, but the middle of the AMU order came through to take a 3-0 lead.

Embry-Riddle put the first two batters of the home-half of the fourth on base against Bocchino, but a sacrifice bunt followed by a foul out and strikeout kept the Eagles off the scoreboard and the momentum in the Gyrene dugout.

A throwing error to begin the fifth started the ball rolling for Ave Maria as four runs would eventually come around to score on three hits, including one on a bases-loaded walk and two more on Sean Trymbiski's single down the right field line with two outs in the frame.

The Eagles were held hitless from the fifth through the eighth, but the hosts were able to avoid just the second shutout at Sliwa Stadium in three years when Jordan Romero drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the ninth to push across the only run of the game for ERAU. Bocchino was relieved by Chris Rheaume after issuing the base-on-balls to Romero, and Rheaume got Colt Hankamer to pop up to first to end the game and give the Gyrenes the 7-1 win.

Bocchino (7-1) pitched 8.2 innings, scattering five hits while striking out two. Modomo (4-2) was saddled with the loss, throwing 4.1 innings, giving up seven runs (four earned) on eight hits with four Ks.

Kevin Lindheim collected two hits and scored the only run for Embry-Riddle, with Jordan Johnson, Liam Goodall and Romero recording a hit each.

Andrew Lytle pitched the final two innings for the Blue and Gold, allowing two hits while fanning one, he now has three scoreless appearances for Embry-Riddle on the year.

Game 2
The get-away game for the Gyrenes looked similar to the first of the day as the Ave Maria offense gave Ethan Striz a 3-0 lead to work with, but the Eagles chipped away at the early deficit with a run in the fifth and sixth followed with two runs in the eighth, highlighted by Jordan Romero's two-out double to left-center that plated the game-winning run.

Stetson Nelson took the hill for the Blue and Gold, striking out three Gyrene hitters in the first two innings, but Striz matched Nelson by retiring the Eagles nearly in order for Ave Maria.

Nelson's first pitch in the third was ruled to hit Bobby Oliver despite Oliver offering at the pitch, and three singles later the Gyrenes had a 1-0 lead. A fielder's choice and sacrifice fly brought in two more runs for Ave Maria before Nelson ended the inning with a strikeout.

Striz held the Eagles scoreless in the third and fourth, but Johnson singled in a run in the fifth after Tyler Robbins was hit by a pitch with two outs. Robbins stole second before scoring on Johnson's base hit, but Johnson was thrown out trying to swipe second during the next at-bat, ending the threat for the Blue and Gold.

Nelson kept his team in the game, throwing up a zero on the scoreboard in the sixth, and his offense rewarded him with another run in the last of the inning, this time on Dillon Ennis' infield single that scored Lemon from third.

Both teams went quietly in the seventh and Ronnie Lozada relieved Nelson in the top of the eighth, but the relief man found himself in trouble after walking the first batter and hitting the second, causing Randy Stegall to call on Eric Green for the second time in two days.

A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third and the Gyrenes elected to try a squeeze play with Trymbiski at the dish. The bunt was placed down the first base line, but Green made a fantastic play, scooping the ball to Adam Cellini at home who tagged the lead runner at the dish for the second out of the inning. Green threw just three pitches to Aaron Pigna in the next at-bat, striking out the second baseman for the third and final out of the frame, keeping the contest at 3-2.

Striz gave up a leadoff single to Kyle Chastain in the home-half of the eighth, and the Eagle outfielder stole second before stealing third after a Cellini strikeout. With the infield in and one out, Ennis hit a ball at Alex Sanchez at short, but the senior infielder misplayed the ball and Chastain was able to race home to tie the game at 3-3. After another strikeout by Striz, Romero doubled to left center to score Ennis all the way from first, giving Embry-Riddle a 4-3 advantage.

Green struck out Oliver to begin the ninth, but Sanchez singled up the middle to put the tying run on base. Green punctuated his great weekend by getting Trace McDermott to ground a ball back to him on the mound which he threw to second before Romero rifled it to first for the game-ending double play.

Green (5-0) pitched the final two innings, giving up one hit while striking out two AMU batters. The DeLand, Fla. native lowered his ERA to 1.08 on the year in 33.1 innings out of the Eagle bullpen.

Lindheim finished 3-for-4 in the game, as Romero went 2-for-4 with an RBI.