DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle Eagles had the potential tying run at second base with one out in the ninth against NCAA II No. 25/28 Saint Leo on Tuesday night, but a double play dashed the Eagles (9-4) hopes of a late-inning comeback as the Lions (14-1) held on for the 6-4 victory at Sliwa Stadium. Embry-Riddle trailed 6-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, but a three-run frame in the home-half of the seventh gave the Blue and Gold life before the Eagles loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth only to see the rally halted.
Tyler Cyr and Josh Mollett got the mid-week starts for the Eagles and Lions, respectively, matching zeroes for zeroes through three full innings.
The Eagles got their leadoff batter aboard in each of the first two frames, but a caught stealing and a twin killing ended both threats while Cyr worked two hitless innings before working around two singled in the third to send the game to the fourth scoreless.
Cyr ran into trouble in the visitor fourth after the visitors collected a one-out single and a hit batter put runners at first and second. A double down the right field line Alex Mata scored the first run of the game and put the Lions in a position to score more. A wild pitch pushed across the second run of the inning before a groundout accounted for the 3-0 Saint Leo lead.
Embry-Riddle threatened in the bottom of the fourth after
Enderson Velasquez and
Liam Goodall collected a pair of one-out hits, and while
Matt Jacobs was batting the lights at Sliwa Stadium went out, causing a 20 minute delay before the game could resume. When the lights came back on Mollett fot a fly out for the second out and the Eagles tried an unsuccesful first-and-third play that resulted in Velasquez being cut down at the plate.
A solo home run from Troy Sieber in the fifth extended the Lion advantage to 4-0, but the Eagles were able to get a run back when
Dalton Hughes tripled to right, scoring
Kyle Buchanan all the way from first.
Tobias Moreno thought he brought in Hughes with a sacrifice fly in the next at-bat, but an appeal to third resulted in Hughes being called out for leaving the base early, ending the Eagle momentum.
A scoreless sixth inning was followed by a busy seventh as the Lions struck for two runs against
Stetson Nelson, one earned and one unearned, pushing the cushion to 6-1. However, the home team answered back with a three-run half-inning of their own, cutting the lead to 6-4. Jacobs doubled to right center to chase Mollett from the game, and the Eagles scored their first run when Jacobs crossed home on a wild pitch from reliever Brent Nizamoff. Two throwing errors allowed Moreno to reach first safely and later for Buchanan and Moreno to both score when Nizamoff's pick off attempt to first got away from Sieber.
Nelson and Nizamoff worked perfect eighth innings before
Zac Grotz faced the minimum in the ninth to set up the drama of the final half-inning.
Jacobs walked to start the frame, moving to second when Buchanan singled up the middle with one away. Tyrone Miller entered the game for the Lions and pinch hitter
Cody Bogart greeted him with an infield single to third base to load the bases. Moreno hit the first pitch he saw from Miller and the Lion infielders did the rest, turning a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
Cyr (1-1) received the loss, allowing four runs on six hits with eight strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Nelson worked 2.0 innings of relief, surrendering one earned run on three hits while Grotz worked the ninth, giving up one hit with a strikeout.
Velasquez and Goodall finished with two hits each while Hughes was the only Eagle to record an RBI.
The Eagles host NAIA No. 19 Davenport (Mich.) tomorrow, Feb. 25 for a 6 p.m. contest at Sliwa Stadium
