DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle baseball team registered 22 hits en route to a 17-4 blowout of visiting Ave Maria on Wednesday night at Sliwa Stadium. The Eagles' (10-5) 22 base hits were the most since March 31, 2004 when ERAU pounded out 23 hits in a win at Florida Tech. The Gyrenes (7-12) fell to 1-17 all-time against the Eagles, despite 10 hits of their own that led to four runs on the night.

Troy Naab, in his second collegiate start, was the beneficiary of 10 runs in the first three innings, and the freshman from DeLand didn't waste time moving quickly through the AMU batters, delivering a short top of the first before the Eagles scored four runs in the home-half of the inning to take control of the game and never look back.

Tobias Moreno began the Eagle first with a base hit to center field, stealing second and scoring on a Kyle Zirbes RBI single to give the hosts 1-0 lead that quickly grew to 3-0 when Jonathan Camp unloaded on a pitch from AMU starter Joseph Bernhard, taking the right-hander deep to center, well over the 400-foot fence for his second long ball of the season. The Eagles would add one more tally in the first when Enderson Velasquez scored from third after he tripled, coming home on a Joshua Garcia single to center.

The Blue and Gold blew the game open in the second, plating five runs to go up 9-0 as Zirbes and Camp each recorded two-RBI base hits and Garcia tallied his second RBI of the night as Bernhard was chased from the game for A.J. Marcantonio.

Naab worked smoothly through the third inning and Joey Swinarksi accounted for the lone ERAU run in the last of the frame, scoring on a wild pitch after a single to left before moving around the bases on Gyrene miscues.

Ave Maria got on the scoreboard in the fifth as R.J. Warnock collected an RBI single, but the Eagles would respond with a five-run sixth, going up 15-1 on the visitors.

All five of the Eagles' runs in the sixth were unearned after one of AMU's five errors were committed in the frame, but Zach Howard, Swinarski, Moreno and Zirbes all recorded RBIs as the home team continued the offensive onslaught.

Dominic Jeancola relieved Naab to start the seventh, throwing a perfect inning before Blake Herrera got an inning of work in during the eighth. The Gyrenes pushed across two runs in the eighth to trim the deficit to 15-3, but again Embry-Riddle answered back, scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning for a 17-3 advantage.

Zirbes' fourth hit of the night chased in Moreno for the Eagle infielder's fifth RBI of the contest before Jimmy Jones III registered a sacrifice fly to right, plating Zirbes for the third time in the game.

Aidan Brady made his Embry-Riddle debut in the ninth, getting two quick outs before an Eagle error kept the inning alive for the Gyrenes who took advantage, scoring an unearned run before Brady struck out Rico Soto to end the contest.

Naab (1-1) went six innings, allowing one run on six hits with six strikeouts, while Jeancola, Herrera and Brady each worked an inning of relief.

Moreno, Zirbes and Swinarski each had four hits for Embry-Riddle, while Zirbes had five RBIs, and Camp finished with four. Mitchel Lindheim recorded his first collegiate hit with a double in the seventh.

The Eagles will host NCAA II No. 8 Minnesota State on Thursday, March 3 for a 3 p.m. doubleheader against the Mavericks.