DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle baseball team won its 25th game of the 2016 season on Tuesday, downing visiting Armstrong State, 9-7 thanks to a big sixth inning. The Eagles (25-14) turned a tie game into an 8-3 lead with five runs in the sixth inning, holding off a late ASU (15-23) rally in the ninth en route to the victory.
Joey Swinarski got his first start of the season on the bump for the Blue and Gold, throwing all of six pitches to retire the side in the first, and the Eagles looked like a good bet to score first when they loaded the bases in the home-half of the first inning, but a ground out from
Kyle Zirbes ended the frame.
Spencer Harvey delivered a two-out, two-RBI double to left to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and ASU threatened to score again in the third when Berry Aldridge grounded a Swinarski pitch deep into the whole at short with a runner at third, but
Enderson Velasquez made a tremendous mid-air, turnaround throw that beat Aldridge at first to keep the Eagle deficit at just two runs.
After a
Tobias Moreno triple to start the bottom of the third,
Liam Goodall doubled him in, and
Jonathan Camp followed with a single through the left side to plate Goodall, knotting things up at 2-2.
Neither team scored in the fourth, but
Cody Bogart began the ERAU fifth with a double down the right field line, moving to third on a Moreno ground ball and then scoring on a wild pitch from ASU starter Blake Turner for a 3-2 Eagle lead.
The lead did not last long however, as ASU came back to tie it in the sixth when Stetson Smith singled with two outs, bringing in Chandler Corley from second.
Joey Gerber got the final out of the Armstrong State sixth, and the Eagle offense exploded for five runs in the bottom of the inning, starting with
Matt Jacobs and Swinarski singles, followed by a passed ball and then a Bogart sacrifice fly, breaking the tie by plating Jacobs. Moreno scored Swinarski with a triple to left center, and after Goodall walked, Velasquez collected an RBI single before Camp delivered the big blow, a bases-clearing triple to right center that gave the hosts an 8-3 cushion.
The visitors quickly got a run back to start the seventh, but the Eagles would answer in the eighth when Velasquez doubled in Goodall after the Eagles' all-time hits leader reached first via a walk, his eighth straight plate appearance reaching base.
Zach Howard, who relieved Gerber to start the eighth, gave up a single and walk in the ninth before Jerad Curry homered to trim the ERAU lead to 9-7, but Howard got Aldridge to fly out to end the game.
Gerber (1-0) got the win in 1.1 innings of relief, while Goodall and Velasquez each recorded three-hit games. Camp drove in three runs on two hits, while Velasquez collected two RBIs and Goodall scored three times.
ERAU hosts Florida Tech this weekend, starting with a single game on Friday, April 15 at 6 p.m. and followed by a twin bill on Saturday, April 16 at 1 p.m.
