DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle baseball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader on Saturday at Sliwa Stadium, 10-9 and 5-3 to Saint Leo as the Lions completed the series sweep of the Eagles over the weekend. The Eagles (10-23) held leads in both games, including a three-run cushion entering the ninth in the opener, but the Lions (17-14) managed comebacks in each contest to extend ERAU's home losing skid to eight games.

ERAU will play the Daytona Tortugas on Wednesday, April 5 in the two teams' annual exhibition contest at Historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m.

Game 1 - SLU 10, ERAU 9
The Eagle bullpen couldn't hold a three-run lead entering the ninth as Saint Leo scored four runs in the frame to secure the series win, 10-9. The Eagles had gone ahead 9-6 with a dramatic, four-run eighth inning, but the visitors returned the favor as the recorded three hits, and the big blow, coming in the form of a bases-clearing triple with one out, pushed SLU in front by a run.

Austin Lee, the Eagle starter in the opener, battled through eight innings, scattering 15 hits while allowing four earned runs, including two in the opening frame that gave SLU an early lead.

ERAU took the lead in the second, chasing Eoin McAvinchey from the game with four hits and four runs. Luis Olivier started things off with a single, followed by a Zach Howard base kncok and a Justin Franklin triple to right center that knotted the game at 2-2. After an A.J. Mazzurco walk, Cody Bogarrt drove in a run with a single down the left field line before Cole Habig collected an RBI on a sacrifice bunt that scored Mazzurco for a 4-2 lead.

Lee worked around a base hit in the third to deliver a scoreless frame, but the Eagles were unable to add to their lead in their half of the inning.

The Lions got a run back in the fourth, and that would be all the scoring for either team until the sixth when Habig got his second RBI of the day on a single to right, plating Mazzurco after he walked and moved to third on a Bogart single.

The 5-3 lead shrunk to 5-4 in the seventh and then disappearing in the same frame as two runs scored off of Lee, but a line out double play ended the threat and kept the game tied at 5-5.

The Lions took their second lead of the day in the eighth as an unearned run scored, giving them a 6-5 lead, but the Eagles rallied for four in their half, giving them the three-run cushion entering the final inning. Logan Malphurs collected a one-out single before Bogart did the same, and after a Habig single tied the game at 6-6, an error pushed he and Bogart to second and third, respectively. An intentional walk to Kyle Guttveg loaded the bases and Robbie Hanlon broke the tie with a sac fly to deep right before Christopher Medina doubled to left, plating two more runs for the 9-6 lead.

Tim Retamoza relieved Lee to start the ninth but couldn't record an out, walking the first batter before a single, following a wild pitch, made it 9-7. After another base hit put runners at first and second, Aidan Brady entered, getting the first out via a sac bunt that pushed both runners into scoring position. A hit by pitch loaded the bags and Zach Scott drove a Brady pitch to right center for the bases-clearing triple and a 10-9 lead.

ERAU came up empty in the bottom of the ninth as Zach Whitaker earned his fourth save of the season for SLU.

Bogart finished 4-for-4 for ERAU, while Medina went 2-for-5 and Habig finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

Game 2 - SLU 5, ERAU 3
Kenny Burkhead took the ball for the Eagles in the finale, working two scoreless frames before his offense gave him a lead in the last of the second when Bogart plated Howard from third with a sac fly to right center. Howard had doubled and moved to third on a Franklin ground out.

Burkhead and SLU starter Jordan Pendleton matched zeroes in the third, but the Lions were able to tie the game in the fourth thanks to their own sacrifice fly following a couple of singles.

SLU took the lead in the fifth with a pair of two-out runs, but ERAU got one of the runs back in the bottom of the inning when Habig launched his first career homer of the fence in left to trim the lead to 3-2.

The momentum continued its' back-and-forth swing as the Lions scored a run in the sixth to go back up by two runs, and the score stayed 4-2 until the eighth when Howard drove in Mazzurco after Mazzurco doubled, moved to third on a fly out and scored on Howard's infield single.

Just as they had in the sixth, SLU answered the Eagles' run with one of their own in the ninth, scoring an unearned run on ERAU reliever Jackson McFarland for teh 5-3 advantage.

The Eagles got the potential tying run to the plate in the ninth after Habig singled with one out, but a fly out to left ended the game and series in favor of the Lions.

Burkhead (2-4) was tagged with the loss in eight strong innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits. Mazzurco, Howard, Hanlon and Habig each had two hits in the finale.