LAKELAND, Fla. - The third-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles claimed their first Sun Conference series victory on Saturday with a twin bill split, winning the day's opener 9-2 behind a strong outing from Stetson Nelson and three RBIs from Kevin Lindheim. But the Fire salvaged one game with a 4-1 decision in the series' finale. ERAU (2-5, 2-1) hosts rival University of South Carolina Beufort next weekend in a three-game set, while the Fire (6-2, 1-2) play host to Milligan Feb. 14-15.

Game 1 - Box Score

Embry-Riddle struck for three runs in the first inning and never looked back, cruising to a 9-2 win over the home team to claim the conference series. Stetson Nelson tossed seven innings for the Eagles, allowing one run on three hits while striking out four.

Lindheim started the scoring with an RBI single down the left field line in the first inning, bringing in Kyle Chastain from third. A few batters later, Darryl Knight drew a bases-loaded walk to push the Eagle lead to 2-0 before Hunter Bruehl recorded a sac fly to score Lindheim for a 3-0 Eagle cushion.

Nelson gave up one run in the bottom of the frame, but would allow just two more hits the rest of the way en route to his first win of the 2014 season.

The Eagles threatened several times over the next few innings, including putting two runners on in the fourth, but the Blue and Gold couldn't push its lead out further until the seventh.

Liam Goodall wore a pitch on a squeeze play with the bases loaded, giving the Eagles a 4-1 lead and Jordan Johnson brought in another run on a ground ball that was mishandled. Chastain accounted for the final run of the inning with an infield single and the visitors led 6-1.

Nelson delivered a 1-2-3 shutdown inning in the home-half of the seventh and the Eagles got another run in the eighth when Knight doubled in J Rhet Montana from second.

The Eages blew the game open in the ninth, getting two more runs on a Lindheim double that plated Connor Williams and Johnson for a 9-2 advantage.

Bruce Wong relieved Tyler Cyr in the last of teh ninth and stranded a pair of Fire runners with a ground ball to short for the final out.

Lindheim finished 4-for-6 with three RBIs and two runs scores while both Montana and Chastain collected two hits.

Game 2 - Box Score

The finale of the three-game series saw all its scoring in the first two innings, including a four-run first for the Fire that the visitors couldn't recover from.

Corey Tufts failed to get out of the first for the Eagles, allowing four runs, three earned before Clayton Wagner came in for the sophomore and stopped the bleeding.

ERAU got its only run of the game in the second when Johnson grounded out to short, bringing home Montana from third to cut the deficit to 4-1.

Wagner was great for the Eagles on the bump, throwing 4.2 innings in relief, allowing just four hits and no runs while fanning eight Fire batters.

Andres Cancio was a riddle the Eagles couldn't solve, pitching eight strong innings on 111 pitches, surrendering six hits while setting down 11 ERAU batters via strikeouts. Johnathan Martin closed the game out in the ninth with three Ks to earn his first save of the year.

Ronnie Lozada was near perfect in the final 2.2 innings for ERAU, not allowing a hit and striking out three SEU hitters.

Tufts (0-2) got the loss in 0.2 innings of work.