TAMPA, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle baseball team toppled NCAA II No. 1 Tampa on Friday night, 5-2. Preseason All-American Kyle Marsh hit a towering, three-run home run down the left field line in the eighth inning to propel the Eagles (20-11) to their first win over a top-ranked team in two years when ERAU downed the same Tampa team on March 25, 2017. Not only did the Eagles get their 20th win of the 2019 season, matching last season's win total with 18 games remaining on the schedule, but ERAU also improved to 9-4 in Sunshine State Conference play, moving past the Spartans (25-8, 11-5) for first-place in the league.

The game, featuring the two top teams in the league, was a classic pitcher's duel until the eighth inning when Marsh came to the plate with two men on and his team down a run. Cody Forster collected a one-out single before John Devine was hit by a pitch with two outs prior to the Eagle second baseman stepping to the dish. The Spartans went to the bullpen for Tyler Beck and Marsh battled through a long at-bat before hitting a massive fly ball to left, putting the Eagles up, 4-2.

Troy Naab, who was in his third inning of relief, got one out in the bottom of the eighth, but was lifted for Eagle closer Dominic Jeancola after two walks. Jeancola promptly struck out the first batter he faced before getting a ground ball to short that ended the inning and sent the game to the ninth.

The visitors added an insurance run in their alst at-bat when Jake Malone doubled home Luis Olivier from third after he had reached on an error, stole second and moved to third on a fly ball to center.

Jeancola worked around a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth, settling in and getting back-to-back fly outs before pinch hitter Luis Medina hit a soft liner to short to end the game, giving the Eagles the 5-2 win.

J.C. Carrell got the nod as the Eagle starter and the sophomore closely matched Tampa's Kevin Pimentel through five innings, surrendering two runs (one earnd) on six hits with two strikeouts.

UT got a run in each of the first and second frames to go up 2-0, but Carrell shut it down from then on, keeping the Spartans off the scoreboard until he was relieved by Naab in the sixth.

Naab entered with two men on and no outs and the senior calmly got a double play ball and then another grounder to send the game to the seventh.

ERAU got it's first run of the night in the sixth when Kyle Guttveg scored from second on a Devine single to center field. Guttveg singled to right with two outs in the inning before advancing to second on a passed ball.

Carrell, Naab and Jeancola combined to hold the potent Spartan offense to just six hits with six strikeouts, allowing just two runs, tying a season-low mark for UT. Naab (7-1) got the win in relief, while Jeancola picked up his sixth save of the year.

Marsh finished with three RBIs on his three-run homer, while Guttveg was the only Eagle with multiple hits.

ERAU will look to take the series from the Spartans tomorrow when they square off in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. in Tampa.