DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It was an eventful and emotional Saturday at Sliwa Stadium on Saturday as the Embry-Riddle baseball team celebrated its 13 seniors to wrap up the 2019 regular season, splitting the day's twin bill with Saint Leo. The Eagles (28-20, 18-12 SSC) dropped the day's opener to the Lions (25-25, 14-16) 7-0 before taking the series finale, 12-7. Embry-Riddle awaits it's 2019 postseason fate as the NCAA II tournament announcement is set for Sunday night.

Game 1 - SLU 7, ERAU 0
The Eagle offense was held in check by SLU's Shane Haight as he allowed just six hits in a complete game shutout of the Blue and Gold.

For the Eagles, the highlight of the game was Gunnar Bradshaw leading off the bottom of the first inning. The senior was diagnosed with osteosarcoma of the femur following the 2017 season, and after 29 weeks in-and-out of the hospital, a knee replacement and eight inches of titanium femur, Bradshaw was announced in remission early last year. Bradshaw stepped to the plate 750 days after his final at-bat of the 2017 season, but unfortunately didn't get to swing his bat as he was hit by a 1-0 pitch, sending him to first base.

Saint Leo scored a run in the second against ERAU starter Troy Naab and a two-run homer by the Lions in the third pushed their lead to 3-0. 

ERAU came up empty against Haight, never really threatening until the ninth, down 7-0, but Haight was able to finish off the shutout to secure the series win for SLU.

Game 2 - ERAU 12, SLU 7
Embry-Riddle came back from a pair of one-run deficits in salvage the series finale, highligted by some impressive performances at the dish, especially from the team's seniors.

A solo Lion home run in the second off of Payton Rice gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, but ERAU got a run back in its half of the inning when Luis Olivier plated Josh Reynolds with a single to right center.

Amir Wright doubled home a Lion run in the third to retake the lead for the visitors, but a big five-run fourth gave the Eagles their first lead of the day, one they would keep for good.

ERAU loaded the bases with no outs and a balk tied the game up at 2-2 before Zach Howard drove in a pair with an RBI single up the middle. Kyle Guttveg, who earlier in the game collected his 200th career hit (the sixth Eagle ever to reach the 200-hit plateau, and just the third before his senior season), plated two more Eagle runs with a single to left center as Embry-Riddle took a 6-2 lead.

Saint Leo came right back with three runs in the fifth to make it a one-run game at 6-5, but Rice stranded the tying run at third with a line out and ground out.

The two teams went quietly in the sixth before Howard gave the Eagles some breathing room with a two-run homer in the seventh. It was Howard's 42nd career homer, matching his jersey number, and his 13th of the year. Jordan Hicks brought in another Eagle run with a sac fly to score Olivier, making it 9-5.

Senior Kyle Marsh hit his own two-run homer in the eighth before Jimmy Jones III, pinch hitting for Josh Reynolds, crushed an 0-2 pitch to left for his second career long ball, pushing the Eagle lead to 12-5.

Saint Leo scratched across a couple of runs in the ninth before Dominic Jeancola finished things up for the Blue and Gold, securing the 12-7 win.

Howard finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs, Olivier went 4-fof-4 with an RBI and two runs, and Guttveg was 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. 

Rice (5-6) got the win in 6.1 innings of work, striking out seven.