LEWISTON, Idaho - The Embry-Riddle Eagles quickly erased the taste from their 2012 NAIA World Series trip with an 8-3 win over series newcomer York (Neb.) in their 2013 opener to advance to the winner's bracket. ERAU will play Monday at 6:30 (PDT), the Eagles' opponent is to be determined. Kevin Maloney was masterful for the Blue and Gold on the mound and the Eagles put up big innings in the fifth and eight to pull away from the Panthers for the victory.

The win gave the Eagles their 18th in World Series history and was their sixth in their openining games.

Aaron Conyers worked quickly through the first two Eagle hitters he faced, striking out both Kyle Chastain and Jordan Romero before Jeff Lemon collected his 170^th career hit with a single to left, extending the inning for Kevin Lindheim. The Embry-Riddle right fielder battled to a 3-2 count, but was just thrown out at first on a ground ball to short that ended the frame for the Eagle offense.

Kevin Maloney got ahead of the Panthers' leadoff hitter, 0-2, but a hit by pitch allowed Matt Owen to reach safely. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second before a nice play by Jordan Romero at short retired Alec Abend for the second out. Trevor Ramos took the first Maloney pitch he saw back up the middle for an RBI single allowing the Panthers to take a 1-0 lead. Maloney managed to strike out the five-hole hitter for York to end the frame, sending his team back into the dugout.

Conyers had no trouble with the Eagles in the top of the second, facing the minimum to keep his team in front by a run. Maloney returned the favor in the home-half of the frame, getting a strikeouts and two fly outs to retire the side.

Chastain got into scoring position with two outs in the third thanks to a Panther error, but Conyers got out of the jam with a high infield pop up to second base to end the threat.

Owen reached base for the second time in the contest when he drew a one-out walk in the third, but a ground ball up the middle was fielded by Maloney, thrown to second for one out and a nice pick from Jordan Johnson at first completed the 1-6-3 double play.

For the second time in the contest, Lemon singled off Conyers, this time to begin the fourth, but a foul out from Lindheim, a diving catch in left center and a force out ended the Eagle threat just as quickly as it began.

Maloney got his second consecutive 1-6-3 double play to retire the Panthers in the bottom of the fourth after Ramos, similarly to Lemon, collected his second hit off of the Eagle starter.

The Eagles finally reached the scoreboard in the fifth after Adam Cellini blooped a single into shallow left, and Liam Goodall placed a perfect sac bunt to advance Cellini's courtesy runner, Connor Williams to second for Tyler Robbins. Robbins saw two Conyers pitches before taking the next pitch to deep left center, scoring Williams and tying the game at 1-1. A Romero walk and then an error by the York shortstop loaded the bases for Lindheim. After Conyers and Lindheim battled to a full count the Eagle right fielder smoked a ball through the hole at third to take a 3-1 lead.

Some great defense highlighted the bottom-half of the fifth as Chastain covered for Goodall in left as Goodall lost a fly ball in the sun, recording the first out and after a Panther reached first a 6-4-3 double play ended the frame. It marked the third consecutive inning the Eagle defense got a double play to end the frame.

Maloney tossed just six pitches in the sixth to set the Panthers down in order, sending the contest to the seventh with the Eagles holding a 3-1 advantage. Embry-Riddle got three men on base in the seventh, but a base running blunder kept the Eagles from a scoring chance and on Conyers' 107^th pitch of the afternoon, Johnson popped up to short to end the Eagle inning.

An error in the bottom of the seventh allowed a run to score for the Panthers as a potential inning-ending ground ball to short was thrown away, pushing across the second York run. On the very next pitch the Eagles committed their third miscue of the day, putting two runners on base. A base hit in the next at-bat appeared as if it might tie the game, but a laser from Goodall in left got the runner at the plate, keeping the Blue and Gold in front by a run, 3-2.

Conyers was replaced by Matt Blaemire to begin the eighth inning and Mike Gragilla promptly singled up the middle. Cellini squared to bunt Gragilla's pinch runner David Belardes over to second on the first two pitches, and squared to do so again on the third, but pulled it back in time to slash a single to right to put runners on first and second for the Eagles with no outs. Adam Dubberke was called upon to relieve Blaemire at that point, and Goodall punt down a bunt that was fielded by the Panther pitcher, but he fell down, allowing all runners to be safe, loading the bases. Robbins singled through the infield as the fielders were playing in, giving the Eagles a 4-2 lead. The second baseman's base hit was the 150th in his Eagle career as he became the 19th player in program history to reach the plateau. Julio Angulo came in as the third Panther hurler in the inning, tasked with stemming the tide with the bases loaded. Chastain brought in Williams with a sacrifice fly to center, pushing the Eagle lead to 5-2. Romero dropped a bloop single to left center to again load the bases for the Blue and Gold. Lemon kept the Eagle rally alive with a single down the left field line, scoring two before he moved to second on a Panther error as the Eagles increased their cushion to 7-2. After an intentional walk to Lindheim, Johnson collected an RBI with a sacrifice fly down the right field line, scoring Romero from third. Angulo finally got out of the inning by striking out pinch hitter Matt Jacobs, but the damage was done as the Eagles held an 8-2 lead on the scoreboard.

The Panthers loaded the bases against Maloney in the bottom of the eighth, the fourth Eagle double play of the day allowed one run to cross the plate, and chased Maloney from the game in favor of Ronnie Lozada. Lozada got the final out of the inning via a long fly ball to center, moving the contest to the ninth.

A pair of walks began the Eagle ninth, but a failed sacrifice bunt attempt followed by a strikeout and pop out ended the frame for the Blue and Gold.

Lozada worked quickly through the first two Panther hitters in the last of the ninth but back-to-back base hits kept the game alive for Josh Nuyten. Nuyten ground a ball to Lemon at third which the third baseman fielded and stepped on the base to end the game and give the Eagles the victory, 8-3.

Maloney (12-1) got the win for the Eagles, pitching 7.2 innings, allowing one earned run on just four hits with four strikeouts.

Lemon finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs while Lindheim and Robbins both collected two RBIs on two hits.