BABSON PARK, Fla. - The 11th-ranked Embry-Riddle baseball team struggled scoring runs on Saturday, but managed a doubleheader split with Webber International, winning the opener 2-1 in extras to claim the weekend series, before falling in the finale, 5-1. The Eagles (6-2, 2-1) got a great outing from Kenny Burkhead in Saturday's first game before Zac Grotz closed out the win for the Blue and Gold, but the offense never opened up in the second as the Eagles managed just one run in a 5-1 loss to the Warriors (5-3, 1-2), marking the first road conference loss to WIU since the 2006 season.

ERAU travels to West Palm Beach on Tuesday to take on future Sunshine State Conference opponent Palm Beach Atlantic at 6 p.m.

Game 1 • ERAU 2, WIU 1 (10)
Burkhead matched counterpart Gustavo Martinez pitch-for-pitch in the opener as both starters kept the other team's bats quiet through eight innings. Burkhead scattered five hits, allowing one unearned run while fanning seven Warriors batters while Martinez finished his outing by allowing five hits, one run wth five Ks.

After a scoreless top of the first, Burkhead ended the last of the inning with a pickoff of AJ Arroyo as he attempted to steal third base and the Eagles turned around and scored in the visitor second when Hunter Bruehl grounded out, bringing in Enderson Velasquez from third after the Eagle shortstop singled and moved to third on a Liam Goodall single.

With a 1-0 lead Burkhead showed no signs of letting the home team back into the game, working through five innings without allowing a run. However, the Eagles struggled to get anything going against Martinez and the Warriors finally reached the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth when Lenin Sanchez tripled to right center before scoring on an Eagle error all in the same play, knotting the game at 1-1.

Burkhead strandd a pair of baserunners in the seventh and Martinez returned the favor in the eighth, leaving Tobias Moreno at third base to keep the game tied.

Velasquez started the ninth with a base hit, but Nathan Burke, who entered for Martinez to start the frame, couldn't come around to score the go-ahead run.

Arroyo began the bottom half of the inning with a single down the right field line, and the Eagles turned to Grotz to take over for Burkhead. After arroyo stole second, Grotz struck out Jesus Villalobos before issuing an intentional walk to Connor Clayton. Grotz fanned the next WIU batter on three pitches before sending the game to extras with a strikeout of Ramon Sanchez.

Kyle Buchanan singled to center in the 10th, stealing second and moving to third and then home when Moreno reached on a fielding error by the WIU shortstop, pushing the Eagles in front, 2-1.

Grotz worked around a leadoff single in the last of the 10th, getting a groundout and two strikeouts to end the game and seal the Eagles' series win.
 
Moreno and Velasquez each had two hits for the Blue and Gold while Grotz (2-0) got the win throwing two scoreless innings with five strikeouts.

Game 2 • WIU 5, ERAU 1
Despite outhitting the hosts 7-3, the Eagles could only touch home once in the series finale, falling behind early and never mounting a comeback.

The Eagles left seven runners on the bases in the second game on Saturday, including one in the first when Jake Cavender was stranded at third.

The Warriors got their first lead of the series in the bottom of the first when Arroyo grounded into a double play against Corey Tufts, plating Lenin Sanchez from third.

Benjamin Feinman kept the Eagles off balance at the plate throughout his start and the sophomore got a boost in the third when WIU struck for three runs (one earned) on just one hit to take a 4-0 lead against ERAU.

Cavender scored the lone Eagle run of the game in the fourth when he came home on a Velasquez sacrifice fly, cutting the lead to 4-1, but the home team got the run back in the fifth on its own sac fly to go up 5-1.

Clayton Wagner took over for Tufts in the sixth and was perfect in three innings of relief, retiring all nine batters he faced.

The visitors threatened in the seventh when Velasquez walked and Goodall doubled with no outs in the frame before Matt Jacobs looked like he might have his third homer of the season down the left field line, but the ball went just wide of the foul pole and Feinman escaped the jam with two strikeouts and a fielder's choice.

ERAU never posed much of an offensive challenge the rest of the game as the Warriors held on for the 5-1 final. Goodall and Cavender combined for five of the team's seven hits in the contest while Tufts finished with 5.0 innings, three hits against, five runs (three earned) and four strikeouts. Wagner threw 34 pitched in the final three frames with one K.