TAMPA, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle baseball team led NCAA II No. 1 Tampa for more than half the game, but six runs in sixth and seventh by the Spartans allowed UT to claim the series opener over ERAU, 7-2. The Eagles (9-19) committed four errors on the night, leading to three unearned runs for Tampa (20-6) and were held hit-less over the final six innings.

Jonathan Camp collected a two-out double in the first before Christopher Medina plated him with a single to right, giving the visitors an early 1-0 lead.

Matthew Russell stranded two Spartan runners in the bottom of the opening frame, while both he and UT starter Garrett Cave stranded more runners in the second, keeping the score at 1-0 in favor of ERAU.

Medina scored the second run of the contest for the Blue and Gold, scoring on a wild pitch by Cave in the third inning after he singled, and moved up a base each on a wild pitch and passed ball. However, the Spartans came right back with a run of their own in the home half of the third on a failed pickoff attempt by Russell.

Neither team really threatened in the fourth or fifth, and after the Eagles went quietly in the top of the sixth, the hosts took the lead with a three runs in the bottom of the frame. The Spartans collected four hits in the inning, including a solo homer that tied the game, before a sacrifice fly and infield base hit drove in the other runs in the inning.

The Eagles were once again held hitless in the seventh and Tampa pulled away with three more runs in the bottom of the seventh, including a pair of unearned tallies.

Russell (1-4) received the loss in six innings of work, allowing eight hits and six runs (four earned), while fanning two. Medina led the offense with two hits and an RBI.

A doubleheader between the Spartans and Eagles is slated for a 1 p.m. start in Tampa tomorrow, Saturday, March 25.