MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader at Barry, dropping the day's first game 9-7 after leading 7-1 going into the eighth, but managing to hold off a late Barry charge in the series finale for an 8-4 victory. The Bucs (16-8) took the series with two wins, as the Eagles fell to 15-9 on the season.

Game 1 - BU 9, ERAU 7
Throughout it's 28-year history, the Embry-Riddle baseball team has made numerous improbable comebacks, in Saturday's first game, the Eagles were on the wrong side of one, giving up a 7-1 lead in the eighth inning as Barry scored eight runs before an out was made en route to a 9-7 victory to claim the weekend series.
 
Up until the eighth, the game was dominated by the Eagles and starter Corey Tufts. The senior righty tossed seven innings, scattering three hits and one run while striking out five as his team staked him to a 7-1 lead.
 
The scoring started in the top of the first when Joshua Garcia singled in Tobias Moreno from third, followed by a Liam Goodall RBI groundout that brought in Kyle Zirbes. Enderson Velasquez got the first of his three hits in the game with a double down the left field line, plating Garcia was a 3-0 ERAU advantage.
 
Tufts faced just one over the minimum through the opening three innings, and the Eagles scored two more runs in the fourth on a Zirbes double and Garcia single to go up 5-0 over the host Bucs.
 
A two-out walk and triple in the home-fourth marked the first Barry run of the day, but the Eagles answered right back in the fifth when Zach Howard recorded a sacrifice fly to bring in Velasquez for a 6-1 cushion.
 
Garcia's third RBI of the game came in the sixth when he singled to center to score Zirbes after he reached on a throwing error, and Tufts kept the score at 7-1 by stranding a runner at third in the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
Neither team scored in the seventh and the Eagles went quietly in the eighth before the Bucs mounted the comeback in the last of the frame. After a walk, single and second walk loaded the bases, Tufts was relieved by Joey Swinarski, but the Bucs continued to get on base, starting with an RBI walk and then three straight singles to trim the lead to 7-5. The big blow of the inning came when Alffredi Ramos homered to center with the bases loaded, turning a two-run Eagle lead into a two-run Barry advantage.
 
Dominic Jeancola came in after the grand slam and got the final three outs without the Bucs scoring another run, but the Eagles couldn't muster their own comeback in the ninth, going 1-2-3 to drop the day's opener.
 
Garcia finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while Velasquez was 3-for-4 and Moreno, Zirbes and Howard each finished with a pair of hits.

Game 2 - ERAU 8, BU 4
In the series finale, the Eagles fell behind 1-0, but rallied to score six unanswered before holding off another Barry comeback attempt in the late going.

Kenny Burkhead lasted just two outs for the Eagles on the mound as an injury kept him from finishing the first inning. Dylan Demarest came in for Burkhead after a Buccaneer run had already come in and got the first of his five strikeouts to end the frame.

The Blue and Gold went in front with a three-run second inning, starting with a Velasquez walk and Goodall double before Howard singled to left, driving in both runs for an Eagle lead. Howard would come around to score when Moreno single to make it 3-1 Embry-Riddle and Matt Jacobs later scored on a Zirbes' fielder's choice.

Demarest worked around a pair of two-out singles in the home second, and the visitors added to their lead in the third when Howard again singled in Velasquez and Goodall after they had walked and collected a base hit, respectively.

Demarst continuted to battle for the Eagles on the mound, keeping the Bucs at bay through the fifth inning, scattering 11 total hits in the contest. Barry was able to get a run in the sixth on a solo home run, trimming the Eagle lead to 6-2.

Embry-Riddle got some insurance runs in the seventh when Camp homered to center, his fourth of the season, bringing in Garcia in the process for an 8-2 ERAU cushion before Demarest set the Bucs down in order in the bottom of the inning.

Demarest again stranded runners in the eighth, this time by getting Ryan Baldwin, the home run hitter, to fly out to center for the final out.

Barry made things interesting in the ninth, chasing Demarest from the fame with two men on and one out as Troy Naab relieved him. On the second pitch of Naab's night, Alex Saavedra hit a ball to deep right, looking destined for a three-run home run, but Camp made a spectacular jumping catch over the fence, robbing him of a round tripper as only one run scored and the second out was recorded. After an infield single made it 8-4, Naab got the final out with a fly ball to right to secure the win for the Blue and Gold.

Demarest (2-0) got the win in 7.2 innings of relief, allowing just three runs on 11 hits with five Ks and no walks before Naab pitched the final 0.2 innings.

Howard was 2-for-4 with a career-best four RBIs, and Moreno went 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Eagles. Camp's homer accounted for a pair of RBIs while Velasquez and Goodall each had tow hits.

The Eagles take their spring break trip to Pensacola to take on perennial NCAA II power West Florida in two games. First game is slated for Tuesday, March 15 at 7 p.m. while Wednesday, March 16th's contest will begin at 3 p.m.