DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle baseball team returned to Sliwa Stadium on Wednesday and opened an eight-game homestand with a twin bill sweep of visiting Purdue Northwest in a pair of seven-inning contests, 3-2 and 5-3. The Eagles (12-9) got a huge sixth-inning two-run homer from Luis Olivier to take the opener before once again coming from behind in the finale, scoring the final three runs of the day while Dominic Jeancola picked up his second save in two hours to complete the sweep over the Pride (2-8). ERAU moved to 9-4 at home in 2019, picking up it's 12th win of the year, far out-pacing last year's 12th win which came in game No. 37 of the season.

The Eagles host Auburn Montgomery tomorrow, Thursday, March 14 for a 6 p.m. tilt at Sliwa.

Game 1 - ERAU 3, PNW 2 (7 inn.)
Olivier's blast in the sixth turned a one-run loss into a one-run win for the home team as both offenses struggled to get going. The two teams combined for just 10 hits in the day's opener.

The Pride struck first with a run in the opening frame against Eagle starter Troy Naab. The visitors didn't muster a hit against the Eagle right-hander, but a hit by pitch, walk, sacrifice bunt and ground out produced the first run of the day.

ERAU was aggressive early against the Pride's starter Kyle Flessner as he needed just 20 pitches to retire the first six batters he faced, sending the game to the third with a 1-0 lead.

Naab stranded a pair of runners in the top of the third and the Eagles were able to tie things up in the next half-inning as Kyle Guttveg tripled down the right field line with two outs, scoring Mike Lawson, who had singled earlier in the inning. John Devine was robbed of a go-ahead RBI single in the next at-bat by a nice diving stop by the PNW shortstop.

Olivier threw out his 13th would-be base stealer in the fourth before the home team left the bases loaded in the home-half of the frame. Purdue Northwest got to Naab for a run in the fifth, loading the bases with two outs before a Naab-issued walk allowed the second Pride run of the contest to cross home.

Trailing 2-1 in the last of the sixth, the Eagles were in danger of wasting a leadoff hit by pitch by Kyle Marsh as Flessner got a couple of pop ups, but Olivier took the first pitch he saw from Flessner way out to left, his third long ball of the year and 10th at Sliwa Stadium in his three-year career, putting the Blue and Gold in front, 3-2.

Jeancola entered in relief of Naab to start the seventh, getting two quick outs before a single kept the Pride hopes alive, but Jeancola froze Kyle McCune on a perfect pitch for strike three, ending the game while earning his third save of the year.

Naab (5-1) got the win, going 6.0 innings, allowing two runs on just four hits with five strikeouts. Lawson finished 2-for-2 with a run, while Olivier's two RBIs provided the difference in the game.

Game 2 - ERAU 5, PNW 3 (7 inn.)
The day's finale was similar to the first as neither team could do much on offense until late, with six of the contests' eight tallies coming in the final three innings.

Joey Gerber got his first start as an Eagle, throwing just five pitches to get out of the top of the first, and the Eagles put together a nice, two-out rally in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-0 lead. After a leadoff single from Guttveg, the Eagle junior swiped the 50th stolen base of his career, but two outs later was still on second. Kirk Sidwell brought him in with a single that dropped in front of the PNW right fielder, and the throw from the outfield went awry, allowing Sidwell to scamper to second. Zach Howard made the error hurt by plating Sidwell with a single to left for a 2-0 ERAU lead.

The top of the second inning was a defensive showcase for the Eagle infield, especially first baseman Devine. After back-to-back singles started the frame, the Pride elected to bunt, but Devine was able to scoop and fire to third to get the lead runner. Another single loaded the bases with one out, but Gerber induced a ground ball to the right side that Devine made a nice play on, getting the ball to second and then a quick relay from Cody Forster to the covering Gerber at first resulted in a 3-6-1 double play to end the threat.

Both teams came up empty until the fifth when the visitors chased Gerber from the game after three consecutive one-out singles pushed across their first run of the contest. Samuel Brunnig entered and the Pride were able to get a single just out of the reach of Forster at short, tying the game at 2-2. A tough grounder to first with a runner at third brought in a run and gave PNW the 3-2 lead before Brunnig got of the frame with another ground out.

The lead for the Pride didn't last long as the Eagles scored twice against reliever Justin Walter in the last of the fifth. Sidwell and Howard walked to start the inning before an infield single from Olivier and resulting error pushed Sidwell across home to knot things at 3-3. A wild pitch from Walter a few batters later allowed Howard to score and put ERAU back ahead, 4-3.

Jeancola, working on 90 minutes rest, came in after a leadoff walk in the sixth, working around a hit batter and two-out single to leave 'em loaded and send the game to the bottom of the inning where ERAU added an insurance tally on a Howard double down the left field line, plating Devine after a leadoff single.

Jeancola went 1-2-3 in the seventh, picking up his eighth career save, moving him into a tie for 10th all-time in ERAU history.

Devine, Sidwell and Howard each finished with two hits as Howard drove in two runs and scored one himself.