ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - Trailing 2-1 heading into the eighth inning on Tuesday night at Flagler's Drysdale Field, it looked like the Embry-Riddle baseball team would come up empty in its first road game of the 2017 season. However, the Eagles (2-1) finally broke through with runners on base, scoring twice in the eighth and twice more in the ninth to hand the Saints (3-1) their first loss of the season, 5-2.
After going 0-for-6 with runners on base over the first seven innings, the Eagles were able to load the bases with no outs in the top of the eighth after an
A.J. Mazzurco single, a
Robbie Hanlon walk and a
Jonathan Camp infield hit.
Zach Howard grounded a 1-0 pitch to third base in the next at-bat, allowing Mazzurco to score the tying run for the Eagles before
Christopher Medina again loaded the bases by being hit by a pitch.
Justin Franklin became the third of four Eagles to get hit by a pitch to drive in the go-ahead run, but the Blue and Gold would strand the bases loaded with back-to-back strikeouts.
Jackson McFarland relieved
Tim Retamoza to begin the bottom of the eighth, facing the minimum before the Eagles added some insurance in the ninth when Howard doubled to left center with both Mazzurco and Camp on base, driving both of them in for a 5-2 Eagle advantage.
McFarland quickly retired the first two Saint batters in the home-half of the ninth and
Kyle Lugar got the final out and the save by inducing a fly ball for the 27th out of the night.
The visitors got on the board first when
Kyle Guttveg crossed home in the third after both umpires conferred on a Camp ground ball that was originally ruled an out at first, but then changed to an error as the throw pulled the Flagler first baseman off the bag. Guttveg singled to center before moving to second on Mazzurco's sacrifice bunt and then third on Hanlon's groundout earlier in the inning.
The lead didn't last long as Flagler got to Eagle starter
Troy Naab for two runs in the bottom of the third, taking a 2-1 lead that stood until the eighth.
Naab finished the fourth before giving way to
Matthew Russell, making his collegiate debut, who went two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, followed by
Tim Retamoza, making his Embry-Riddle debut in the bottom of the seventh.
Retamoza faced the minimum in the inning and received the win in relief, while the five Eagle pitchers combined to hold Flagler to three hits with five strikeouts.
Both Mazzurco and Camp finished 2-for-4 as Mazzurco scored twice and Camp scored once, while Howard collected three RBIs on the night.
ERAU returns to Sliwa Stadium to host Palm Beach Atlantic this weekend with a single game Friday (6 p.m.) and a doubleheader slated for Saturday (1 p.m.).
