FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. - Zach Howard became the third Eagle ever to hit three home runs in a game, but Emmanuel still completed the three-game sweep of the Embry-Riddle baseball team on Sunday with a 15-9 decision. The Eagles (9-14) struggled all weekend on the mound, giving up 38 runs to a Emmanuel (12-13) team that entered the series averaging under six runs per game.

The state of Georgia continued to be unkind to the Blue and Gold as ERAU dropped to 1-10 in the Peach State over the last two seasons.

Howard hit the first of his three long balls in the first, giving the Eagles an early 2-0 lead after Kyle Guttveg walked and Howard brought him in.

For the eighth time in the series, and first of four times on Sunday, the Lions answered right back in the bottom of the inning, scoring six runs off of Eagle starter Kyle Marsh thanks to five hits, three walks and two Eagle errors to take a 6-2 lead.

The visitors got a single run back in the second, but EC plated three more in its half of the frame, pushing the advantage to 9-3.

Howard left the yard for the second time in the top of the third, a solo shot off of EC starter Dalton Kuhn before the home team strung together three straight two-out hits, scoring three more runs for a 12-4 cushion.

Emmanuel scored a lone run in the fourth and neither team was able to get anything going in the fifth, but ERAU showed some life in the sixth as  they plated three runs, one on a Guutveg bases-loaded walk and two more on a Marsh single to left, cutting the deficit to 13-7.

The Lions scored on a wild pitch in the last of the sixth, adding another run in the seventh to account for their 15th of the day.

Both teams went quietly in the eighth and after a leadoff single from Marsh in the ninth, Howard joined Austin Goolsby (March 27, 2010) and Darryl Knight (Mary 14, 2014) in the Eagle record books with his third home run of the game, scoring Marsh and himself to make it 15-9, the score that would prove to be the final.

Howard's five RBIs and three hits led the way offensively for ERAU, while both Guttveg and Marsh collected a pair of RBIs and Justin Franklin had two hits. J.C. Carrell pitched two scoreless innings at the tail end of the game, holding the Lions hitless while striking out a pair.

Howard's 12 home runs this season are already tied for fourth on the single-season leaderboard, three behind Darryl Knight's single-season record of 15 in 2014. The Eagle junior now has 21 homers in his career, tied with Adam Smith (2001-03) and Todd Daniels (2000-03) for fifth all-time. Goolsby (2009-10) holds the ERAU career record with 25 round trippers.

Embry-Riddle will take on Florida Tech this coming weekend in Sunshine State Conference play in Melbourne. Starting with a single game Friday night at 6 p.m.