DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle baseball team saw its home losing streak pushed to nine games on Tuesday night as Flagler scored three runs in the seventh en route to a 4-2 win at Sliwa Stadium. The Eagles (13-28) got six great innings from starter
Troy Naab, and led 1-0, but the Saints (26-19) were able to even the season series by outscoring the Eagles 4-1 over the final three frames.
Naab faced the minimum in the first and the Eagles grabbed a rare first inning run as
Cole Habig drew a one-out walk before moving to second, third and then home on wild pitches from Dustin Dye.
The 1-0 Eagle lead would remain for the next five innings as Naab and a slew of Saint pitchers kept their opposing offensives off balance. In fact, Naab kept the Saints from even reaching third base until the seventh.
Justin Franklin hit a one-out double in the second, but Dye was able to strand him at third by picking off
Ryan Maxon at first after Maxon had drawn a walk.
Naab worked around a leadoff walk in the fourth and a leadoff single in the sixth, and
Kyle Guttveg was able to start the bottom of the sixth with a walk for the Eagles. However, for the first time in 2017, Guttveg was thrown out at second trying to steal and ERAU came up empty in the frame.
The Saints' seventh featured four hits, including three straight to leadoff the inning, tying the game on an infield single. After a sac bunt put runners at second and third with one out, Naab was able to get a strike out, but his first pitch to Ethan Crout was doubled down the right field line, scoring both runners and giving the visitors a 3-1 lead.
Naab was able to get out of the inning without any further damage, but a two-out rally for ERAU in the home-half of the frame was cut short as
Gunnar Bradshaw grounded out to end the inning with a runner at second. Opponents have now outscored the Eagles, 54-9 in the seventh inning in 2017.
The Saints added a run in the eighth against
Kyle Lugar, but the Eagles answered when
Luis Olivier brought in Guttveg in the bottom of the inning via a ground out, trimming the deficit to 4-2.
Lugar went 1-2-3 in the ninth and ERAU got an immediate spark when Franklin doubled to start the Eagle ninth, his second of the night. After two outs,
Cody Bogart pinch hit for Bradshaw and was hit by the first pitch in the at-bat from Luke Cooksey. A wild pitch moved both Franklin and pinch runner
Jimmy Jones III up a base, but Cooksey was able to induce a ground ball from Guttveg to end the game.
Naab (1-5) went seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits, while Franklin was the only Eagle with multiple hits, ending the game 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles.
ERAU hosts defending NCAA II National Champion Nova Southeastern this weekend, beginning with a Friday game at 6 p.m. and a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m.