#15 Embry-Riddle (27-14, 16-2) def. Ave Maria (15-26, 4-14) 3/29/14 | Ave Maria/Naples, Fla. - Bowie's Ballpark & St. John Neumann HS | A: 51 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Embry-Riddle 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 14 1 Ave Maria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 Pitching IP H R ER BB SO W: Tufts (7-2) 9.0 2 0 0 2 11 L: Striz (4-4) 4.0 10 5 5 0 4 Batting AB R H RBI BB HR Knight (ERAU) 5 2 3 4 0 2 Cavender (ERAU) 5 1 3 0 0 0 Bruehl (ERAU) 5 2 2 0 0 0 Related Links • Box Score • Season Stats

AVE MARIA/NAPLES, Fla. - In a game that spanned 21 hours over two days, the 15th-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles downed Ave Maria, 6-0 to complete the three-game sweep of the Gyrenes over the weekend. Embry-Riddle (27-14, 16-2) got two more home runs from Darryl Knight and a complete game, nine inning shutout from Corey Tufts as the Eagles recorded their fourth conference sweep of the 2014 season.

Knight became the first Eagle player in program history to hit four home runs in a single series, finishing with seven hits (two doubles and four homers), 10 RBIs as he stretched his reached base streak to 21 games.

Tufts (7-2) had his best outing of his career, striking out a career-high 11 batters and taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning before allowing just two total hits while holding the Gyrenes scoreless over his complete game victory. Tufts did not allow any AMU runner to reach second base.
 
The Eagle offense picked up right where it left off following Saturday's first game jumping on Ave Maria starter Ethan Striz in the first inning, totalling three runs on five hits, including the third home run of the weekend from Knight. A Chastain double followed by a fly out and ground out scored the first Eagle run and with two outs Knight launched his second opposite field homer to right for a 2-0 lead. Cavender, Johnson and Hunter Bruehl put together three consecutive hits to score another Eagle run before Striz was able to get out of the frame.
 
Tufts retired the first five Gyrene batters he faced until he issued a two-out walk to  Nick Saccheta in the second, but the sophomore righty fanned Hunter McCarthy to retire the side and move the game to the third inning.
 
Knight became the first Eagle since Chris Page (Feb. 10, 2012) to hit two home runs in a game when he launched his fourth of the series over the right field fence with Lindheim on base, increasing the Eagle lead to 5-0.
 
The Gyrenes couldn't find the answer against Tufts in either the third or fourth and after the last out of the fourth, a lightning strike delayed the game 45 minutes before the game was officially postponed to Sunday.
 
A 20-hour delay and change of venue found the contest resumed in Naples, Fla. and a new Ave Maria pitcher, Taylor Walker, denied Knight's quest for three home runs in a single game by striking the Eagle catcher out to start the fifth. Walker worked around an error and walk to retire the side with two pop ups to short to strand a pair of runners on the bases.
 
Tufts hit Nick Saccheta with the first pitch he threw after his long absence from the mound, but he quickly retired the next three Gyrenes, including two strikeouts to move the game to the sixth and make the game official.
 
The Eagles failed to threaten in the sixth and Conor Sullivan broke up Tufts' no-hit bid with two outs in the last of the frame, but Tufts got the last out via a fly out as the game advanced to the seventh.
 
Both Walker and Tufts traded perfect innings in the seventh, including two more strikeouts from Tufts as he set a career-high with his 10^th strikeout against McCarthy to end the inning.
 
Ave Maria put its leadoff batter on first in the bottom of the eighth thanks to an Eagle error, but Tufts got two ground balls and a foul out to keep the home team off the scoreboard for the eighth consecutive inning.
 
Knight collected his third hit and fourth RBI of the game with a two-out double in the ninth, scoring Chastain from second to give the Eagles an insurance run and a 6-0 cushion.

Sullivan registered his second base hit of the game to start the bottom of the ninth, but again, Tufts failed to waiver, setting the next three Gyrenes down in order to preserve his first complete game shutout.

Knight went 3-for-5 with four RBIs on two homers and a double, while Cavender finished 3-for-5 and Chastain went 2-for-5 with two runs.

The Eagles return to Daytona Beach for their annual exhibition contest against the Daytona Cubs on Wedensday, April 2 at 6:05 p.m. at historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

ERAU's next regular season game is Friday, April 4 against Florida Memorial at Sliwa Stadium. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.