DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Five consecutive doubles sparked the Embry-Riddle baseball team to an 11-5 win over visiting Tusculum on Monday afternoon as the Eagles opened up their 20th season at Sliwa Stadium. The Eagles (2-1) broke a scoreless game open in the second inning on the back of five straight two-baggers, an ERAU program record, and continued to add on the rest of the day as the Eagles out-hit the Pioneers (1-3), 15-7.
Andrew Martinez had a huge day for the home team, finishing a perfect 4-for-4, just a home run short of the cycle, as six Eagles registered multiple hits in the game.
Kelsey Ward made his collegiate debut on the bump for the Blue and Gold, showing some toughness as the visitors put runners at second and third with less than two outs in each of the first two innings, but Ward kept them off the scoreboard and gave his team some momentum by stranding all four runners on the bases.
Embry-Riddle's second inning was the difference in the game, starting with an
Eric Feliz hustle double to right center. Martinez traded places with him with the second of five straight doubles, and after
Josh Reynolds,
Max Law and
Cody Forster all collected two-base hits, ERAU was up 4-0. Embry-Riddle scored twice more in the inning on a passed ball and then an RBI groundout from
Robert Post, taking a 6-0 lead into the third.
Tusculum scratched across a run in the third and chased Ward from the game, but
J.C. Carrell kept the runs to a minimum and ERAU got that run back in the home third when Martinez singled, moved to second on a ground ball and then stole third, scoring on a throwing error by the Pioneer catcher.
Embry-Riddle tacked on two more runs in the fourth, starting with a solo home run from
Kyle Guttveg, the first long ball of the season for ERAU. Feliz plated
Mike Lawson later in the frame with a single and the Eagles enjoyed a 9-1 advantage.
Carrell worked a scoreless fifth and was relieved by
Daniel Rutherford in the sixth.
With a 10-3 lead in the seventh Reynolds brought in the Eagles' 10th run of the day, scoring Martinez from third with a single after Martinez tripled with one out in the inning.
Tusculum pulled within 10-5 in the eighth before ERAU added an insurance run in its half of the inning.
Joe Balsam threw a scoreless ninth for the Eagles.
Martinez led the way for ERAU with four htis and three runs, with Reynolds finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Lawson continued his hot start to 2020 with a 3-for-4 performance with three runs.
Carrell (1-0) got the win in 3.1 innings of relief, while Ward, Rutherford,
Tyler Stufano and Balsam all made their Embry-Riddle debuts on the mound.
ERAU hosts Auburn Montgomery this weekend for a three-game set, starting with a 6 p.m. game on Friday, Feb. 7.
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Notes
• Embry-Riddle improved to 22-10 all-time in home openers
• ERAU improved to 2-0 all-time against Tusculum
• Embry-Riddle is now 1-0 in games played the day after the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl
•
Kyle Guttveg hit his sixth Sliwa Stadium home run
•
Luis Olivier threw out the 45th would-be base stealer of his career
