DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -
Zach Howard clobbered a seventh-inning pitch over the fence in left center field with the bases loaded to help the Embry-Riddle baseball team to a 6-3 win over visiting Felician on Friday night. The Eagles (3-2) led 2-1 after an inning before five consecutive scoreless frames for both teams as
Matthew Russell and
Nick Dearing dominated the Golden Falcon (0-1) batters through the middle innings. Howard gave the Eagles some breathing room before Felician struck with a two-run homer in the eighth before Dearing and
Dominic Jeancola closed things out for the Eagles on the mound.
Russell tossed six innings in his second start of the 2018 season, but got out to a rocky start in the first, giving up two singles that led to a 1-0 Felician lead. However, the home team took advantage of a couple of balls lost in the lights as the sun was setting, starting with a foul ball from
Luis Olivier that was sent sky high over the plate, but the Felician catcher couldn't locate it and Olivier lived to see another pitch, one he launched to left, hitting off the base of the fence for a triple, chasing in
Kyle Marsh who was at first after being hit by a pitch. Howard brought in Olivier with a single that dropped for a hit behind first base, as once again, the Golden Falcons couldn't find the ball in the lights, giving ERAU a 2-1 lead.
Russell worked out of a jam in the second after the first two batters got to second and third via a single and outfield error. Russell struck out the third batter of the frame, before getting a ground ball to third that third baseman
Mitchel Lindheim deftly scooped up and fired to first after looking the runner back to the bag at third. Russell then completed the escape by striking out L.T. Struble to keep the hosts in front by a run.
Russell cruised through the third, fourth, fifth and sixth, but the Eagle offense was stymied by Jason Polgano, Will Kazura and Tyler Pepper through the sixth as the game remained 2-1 in favor of the Blue and Gold.
Dearing took over for Russell in the seventh, facing the minimum and setting up the big offensive frame for the Eagles in the bottom of the inning. After
Cole Habig grounded out to start the seventh,
Jake Malone drew a walk before Marsh was hit by a pitch and Olivier was walked to load the bases. 2017 Felician closer Dan Naif was called on to put out the fire, but on just his second pitch, Howard unloaded a deep fly to left center, his third long ball of the season, turning a 2-1 lead into a 6-1 cushion.
Polgano, who was also the Golden Falcon's designated hitter, brought the visitors within striking distance with a two-run homer to right in the top of the eighth, trimming the Eagle lead to 6-3. ERAU looked to get at least one of those runs back in its half of the eighth with runners at second and third with one out, but a groundout and strikeout ended the Eagle threat.
Dearing got the first two outs of the ninth, but an error and double brought the potential tying run to the plate, so
Randy Stegall went to Jeancola for the final out. Jeancola fell behind 2-0 before throwing a strike, and on his 2-1 pitch, Danny Healey Jr. hit a ball right back up the middle. Jeancola managed to get a glove on it, deflecting it enough to allow the shortstop Malone to corral it and fire it to first for the final out of the game.
Russell (1-0) got the win in six innings of work, allowing one run on four hits with eight strikeouts. Dearing worked 2.2 innings of relief, giving up two runs on three hits with five Ks before Jeancola got his second save of the year on four pitches.
Howard finished 2-for-5 with five RBIs, while
Alex Dodd went 2-for-3 and both Marsh and Olivier scored two runs each.
The Eagles and Golden Falcons continue their four-game series tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 10 for a twin bill beginning at 1 p.m.
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