DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Senior right-hander
Daniel Poncedeleon pushed aside a rough first inning to pitch a masterful complete game victory over visiting University of South Carolina Beaufort on Friday night. The La Mirada, Calif. native allowed just six hits (three over the final eight innings) and two runs (both in the first frame) while not issuing a walk and striking out 10 Sand Shark hitters en route to his first win of the year. The Eagles (3-5, 3-1) collected nine hits and scored five runs in the middle of the contest to claim the series opener from USCB (4-2, 2-2) on a chilly evening at Sliwa Stadium. The two teams will meet on Saturday, Feb. 15 for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
USCB brought a potent offense into Friday's contest, scoring 42 runs in its first five games, but Poncedeleon held them scoreless over the final eight frames, registering the first complete game for ERAU since
Jon Rapose did it for the Eagles against the Sand Sharks in The Sun Conference Tournament (5/4/13).
The Sand Sharks reached the scoreboard early on, plating a pair of runs in the first inning after Poncedeleon retired the first two USCB batters. Erik Armstrong, Ryan Walker and Brandon Joyce strung together three consecutive two-out hits, with Joyce's base knock scoring his two teammates for a 2-0 USCB lead. Poncedeleon ended the frame with a strikeout of Jon Andrews, stranding Joyce at first.
The Eagles appeared to have an answer in their half of the first, putting runners on the corners with no outs after a leadoff double from
Kyle Chastain and single from
Jake Cavender, but C.J. Kelly struck out the side, getting
Kevin Lindheim,
J Rhet Montana and
Darryl Knight to swing and miss at strike three to keep his team in front.
After a leadoff single in the second, Poncedeleon induced three straight ground ball outs, including a sacrifice bunt that almost went for a hit if not for the pitcher's perfect throw to get Alex Bonilla at first.
Kelly and Poncedleon traded scoreless innings over the next few frames, but the Eagles finally got to Kelly in the fourth thanks to a crucial error to begin the inning. Montana led off the last of the fourth with a routine ground ball to short that was misplayed, but was unable to advance as Kelly recorded a strikeout and a shallow fly ball in the next two at-bats.
Liam Goodall kickstarted the Embry-Riddle offense with a first-pitch double to right center, scoring Montana all the way from first and cutting the lead to 2-1. Goodall moved to third on a wild pitch and scored when
Jordan Johnson collected his first of two base hits with a single to left center, knotting the game at 2-2.
Poncedeleon was nearly unhittable after the fourth, delivering a big shutdown frame in the fifth, putting the Eagles back into the dugout before ERAU took the lead for good in the next half-inning.
Gage Roth relieved Kelly to start the home-half of the fifth, walking Cavender before getting a fielder's choice ground ball from
Kevin Lindheim. On his first pitch to Montana, Roth gave up a scorcher down the left field line as Lindheim scored from first as he was off on the pitch. Knight kept the Eagle rally going with an RBI single before reaching second on a poor throw from the thrid baseman. With
Hunter Bruehl at the dish and courtesy runner
Connor Williams on second, USCB's catcher Bonilla attempted to throw to second, but the ball bounced off Bruehl's batting helmet and into the Eagle dugout, allowing Williams to trot home for a 5-2 Blue and Gold cushion.
The Eagle defense did good work for Poncedeleon over the next few innings as the Eagle hurler set down nine in a row until J.J. Crespo collected an infield single to begin the eighth. However, the right-hander wasn't phased and got the final six outs of the game without allowing another baserunner.
Poncedeleon threw 120 pitches in the complete game performance, adding to his season strikeout total with 10 Ks. Roth (1-1) was tagged with the loss in four innings of relief for USCB.
All but two Eagle hitters collected a hit, including two each from Goodall and Johnson.
