DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Andrew Martinez had a day and Garrett Goodall bounced back as the Embry-Riddle baseball team took Friday's series opener against Auburn Montgomery, 8-3 at Sliwa Stadium. The Eagles (3-1) got a 3-for-3 effort at the plate from Martinez in addition to the defensive play of the game, while Goodall followed a rough performance in his season-opener last Saturday with a solid showing in his home-opener, delivering a quality start against the Warhawks (0-5)

ERAU never trailed, using a big second inning to jump out to an early 5-0 lead and after the visitors struck for three runs in the fourth to get back into the game, Martinez came up with a dramatic diving catch in left center to keep the Eagles in front, 5-3.
 

.@drewmartinez34 came through with this fantastic catch at a turning point in the game tonight. Oh, and he also reached base in all five plate appearances pic.twitter.com/i5d2eIeeSV

— Embry-Riddle Baseball (@ERAUBaseball) February 8, 2020

Martinez wasn't done though, he, along with true freshman Robert Post, each came through with two-out RBIs in the next half-inning, grabbing whatever momentum the Warhawks had back from the visitors and placing it firmly in the ERAU dugout.

Goodall and a pair of Eagle relievers, John Barone and Joey Gerber, held AUM scoreless the rest of the way and the Eagles picked up their third win of the season.

Goodall needed only six pitches to get out of the first inning, and just a few more to breeze through the second before the Eagles got the scoring started in the home-half of the second inning.

Eric Feliz singled through the right side to start the frame before Martinez collected an infield single and Josh Reynolds walked to load the bases with no outs. Max Law brought in the first run of the game with a sac fly to center, and a crucial error on the next ball put in play by Cody Forster opened the door for four more runs to score. Kyle Guttveg doubled in a run before Mike Lawson picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to left and Luis Olivier accounted for the final run with a double as ERAU enjoyed a 5-0 lead.

Goodall induced a double play and collected a strikeout for a shutdown inning in the third, but ran into some trouble in the fourth when AUM got on the board on a two-run homer from Dalton Cobb to trim the Eagle lead to 5-2. After a single and walk, Goodall surrendered another single that scored the third Warhawk run of the inning. With runners on the corners, Logan Nix took a Goodall pitch deep to left center that would have scored both runners and tied the game, but Martinez's excellent grab in the gap preserved the lead for the hosts.

The Blue and Gold got two of those runs back in its half of the inning, first when Post singled home Guttveg and then when Martinez doubled in Post as the Eagles went up 7-3.

Goodall kept AUM scoreless in the fifth and sixth before he was relieved by Barone with two men on and one out in the seventh. Following a sac bunt for the second out, Barone struck out the final AUM batter of the inning to send the Eagles back into the dugout.

John Devine's base hit in the bottom of the seventh scored Martinez from second after the latter had walked and stole second, giving the Eagles an 8-3 cushion.

Barone worked around a walk in the eighth before Gerber went three-up, three-down in the ninth, including a pair of strikeouts to close the victory.

Goodall (1-1) went 6.1 innings, allowing three runs with three Ks. Barone tossed a scoreless 1.2 innings and Gerber picked up a perfect ninth.

Martinez finished 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, while Feliz had a pair of hits. Eight different Eagles had an RBI in the game.

The Eagles will look to take the series tomorrow with first pitch set for 3 p.m. at Sliwa.