ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle baseball team collected 15 hits en route to 11 runs on Friday night as they beat the Tritons of Eckerd, 11-6. The Eagles (11-23) won just their second weekend opener of the year, taking advantage of five Triton errors while never trailing in the contest. The Tritons (13-20) got to within a run in the fifth, but the Eagles reeled off six runs over the final four innings while holding the home team to just two.
Aidan Brady got his first start of the 2017 season, working around a one-out single in the first to send the game to the second scoreless after the Eagles failed to draw first blood.
Justin Franklin began a big night for himself with a one-out homer in the second, the third of the year for the ERAU first baseman as the visitors took a 1-0 lead.
Brady got a nice, 4-6-3 double play to end the Eckerd second, and neither team could cross the plate in the third.
Embry-Riddle chased Eckerd starter Joey Favetta in the fourth, as the Eagles scored four times, starting on a Franklin single to right center that plated
Luis Olivier from second. Olivier began the inning with a walk, moving to second on a
Zach Howard single before scoring the game's second run. After an Eckerd error allowing
Cole Habig to reach and Howard to score,
Gunnar Bradshaw singled to right to score two more ERAU runs, picking up his second and third RBIs of the season.
Kyle Lugar, who relieved Brady to start the third, was relieved himself by
Matthew Russell to begin the fourth and the Tritons were able to get one run back in the frame, making it 5-2. However, Russell was able to limit the damage in the frame.
Eckerd was able to plate two runs in the home fifth, trimming the Eagle lead to 5-4, but Russell again was able to keep ERAU in front by fanning the final Triton batter to end the threat.
The Blue and Gold immediately got those runs back and more when the sixth came around, in large part thanks to a dropped fly ball by Eckerd's center fielder. With the bases loaded and two outs, Howard lifted a ball to center that was mis-played, allowing all three runners on base to score for an 8-4 cushion.
A two-RBI double in the Eckerd sixth ended Russell's night, and
Troy Naab was called upon to get out of the inning which he did with an 8-6 lead.
Christopher Medina led off the eighth with a triple before scoring on an Olivier sac fly, prior to Howard homering to right, his fourth of the year, pushing the ERAU advantage to 10-6. Franklin doubled in the next at-bat and later scored on a Habig single, tallying the final run of the night for either team.
Naab finished the game on the mound, facing just one over the minimum in nailing down his second save of the season.
Lugar (1-0) got the win in 1.0 inning of relief, while Brady (2.0 innings, one hit), Russell (2.2 innings, seven hits) and Naab (3.1 innings, one hit) all pitched for the Eagles.
Franklin went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs while Howard finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Habig also collected three hits, while Bradshaw drove in two on two base knocks.
The Eagles and Tritons meet up for a doubleheader tomorrow, Saturday, April 8 at 1 p.m.
