Four @ERAUBaseball Players Save Man's Life

This isn't your typical baseball story.

In fact, it's not your typical story at all...

It's fair to say that the Embry-Riddle baseball quartet of John Devine, Cody Forster, Mike Lawson and Josh Reynolds will remember the events of November 23, 2019 for the rest of their lives.

It started with a normal round of golf for the foursome at Pelican Bay Golf Club. Fall practice had just wrapped up and the four wanted to get a round in before the final end-of-semester push towards final exams.

Devine was about to tee off on hole six when Forster piped up.

Forster had heard a splash. He glanced to his left and up a creek about 75 yards where he saw a riding lawnmower upside down in the water.

"I heard it, looked over and saw what was happening and that's when adrenaline kicked in and I just took off at a sprint," Forster said. 

Reynolds wasn't far behind. The pair covered the 75 yards as fast as they could with Forster diving into the water a hair ahead of Reynolds and the two swimming across the 30-foot wide creek to reach the overturned mower.

"I knew we didn't have much time," Forster said. "I heard the sound, and immediately I had a clock going in my head. You can only hold your breath for so long and so we had to act quickly."

Once Forster and Reynolds reached the mower, Forster headed around to try and pull on the 1,000 lb. machine while Reynolds, all 6 feet, 4 inches and 260 lbs. of him attempted to lift the mower up from the near side, trying to get his massive shoulders under the thing. 

With Reynolds and Forster struggling to dislodge the mower, Reynolds felt someone grab him. 

It was the hand of Paul Piloto, a father of four with a landscaping business, and who was currently trapped under half a ton of metal and had been for close to a minute. He had already done as much as he could, trying to get out from under the enormous weight of the mower. He was pinned underneath the water and with no hope that anyone had noticed, Paul was mentally saying his goodbyes. 

That area of the golf course and surrounding neighborhood almost never has people around, and even if there had been someone that had seen, how were they going to lift a 1,000 lb. machine off of him?

Meanwhile, Paul's wife Paula Piloto, who was working on a different area of the yard, glanced up and saw young men in mid-run, but had no clue what was happening.

Paula had no idea how long her husband had been trapped under the water...she was frozen, unable to react, but assuming the worst. 

"I was totally caught by surprise," she said. "Just a few moments earlier we were talking and the next thing I know I see the boys running towards the water."

She remembers the noise Reynolds made as he attempted to lift, a last-ditch effort to move the mower.

The combined efforts of Forster and Reynolds were just enough for Piloto to get his face up and out of the water to gasp for air.

After Paul was able to catch his breath momentarily, Lawson jumped in to the water and they were all able to move the mower enough to finally dislodge him.

"Once I got there after a second or two I saw him come up," Paula said. "At that moment, I just sat there and cried."

"I remember just saying 'Thank you! Thank you!' over and over and just crying," Paula said.

"We just sat in the water while catching our breath afterwards," Forster said.

It was all over in less than two minutes, from the sound Forster heard to Paul climbing out of the water...two minutes that will tie four Embry-Riddle baseball players and the Piloto family together forever.

Consider all the factors that fell into place on that Saturday...

• The four guys deciding to play a round on that day and at that time.

• Getting to the sixth hole, an area that rarely has many people around it, right as Paul was mowing next to the creek.

• Forster hearing a sound from 75 yards away.

• The quick reaction of the four and the speed at which they covered the distance.

• Reynolds, the current Embry-Riddle baseball record-holder in the hang clean, and the largest Eagle on the team, being there.

We won't call it a coincidence...

This past Tuesday, Mr. & Mrs. Piloto came to Embry-Riddle to meet with the four Eagles that changed their lives. 

Paul received an ERAU Baseball hat and the Piloto family had their names permanently put on the pass list as Eagle fans for life.

"We're just happy we were there and able to help, and that he gets to stick around a lot longer," Forster said.

This isn't your typical baseball story.

In fact, it's not your typical story at all...