DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - There was a point early on in Friday's 7-6 win for the Embry-Riddle baseball team, that it appeared the Eagles would cruise to a big win over Florida Tech, but the visitors scored five unanswered runs and the Eagles needed a six-out save from Joe Balsam in order to secure the one-run victory for Garrett Goodall. The Eagles (19-19, 7-13 SSC) led 7-1 early thanks to a big five-run second inning, but the Panthers (28-15, 11-12 SSC) chipped away, threatening to tie the game before Balsam slammed the door in the eighth and the ninth, grabbing his ninth save of the season.

Goodall (3-3) got the win for the Eagles, going seven innings, scattering nine hits and allowing three earned runs. He and FT starter Boris Villa traded scoreless first frames, and Goodall repeated that in the second, but Villa was his own worst enemy in the home-half of the inning, walking three, hitting an Eagle, and allowing five total runs to score. Kevin Vittora started the scoring with a two-out single to right, and then Alex Britton drew a bases-loaded walk to force in another run. After Andrew Martinez was hit by a pitch to collect an RBI, Jeremy Kennedy-Davis singled over the outstretched glove of the Panther third baseman, pushing two more runs across to make it 5-0.

The visitors got a run in the third, but ERAU got it right back when Nick Hoffman doubled home Josh Reynolds. Villa was relieved by Danny Vassallo after walking Reynolds to start the inning.

Goodall got out of a jam in the fourth, stranding two runners, and ERAU again got a gift when Garrett Bogart was hit by a pitch with the bases full of Eagles in the bottom of the frame, making it 7-1.

A double play with a runner on third brought in a run for the Panthers in the top of the fifth, but Goodall threw a scoreless sixth, moving the game along to the seventh as the Eagles led 7-2.

The Panthers strung together a few hits in the seventh, ultimately scoring two more runs and trimming their deficit to three at 7-4, but a 6-3-5 double play ended the threat and Goodall's day.

Garner Spoljaric started the eighth and couldn't get an out. FT scored a run on an error and had runners on first and third with no outs when Balsam entered from the pen. A ground out pushed across another run, but got an important first out, and then Balsam stranded the potential tying run at third base with a strike out and fly ball to left.

ERAU went quietly in the bottom of the eighth before Balsam took the mound for the ninth. A lineout from the leadoff man started the frame before a single from Paul Castillo put the tying run on base. Balsam then got a weak pop up to Vittoria and then a sharply hit ground ball deep in the hole at short that Vittoria expertly fielded before making a spectacular throw across the diamond in a bang-bang play at first, getting the batter and getting the win for ERAU.

Kennedy-Davis was the only Eagle with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.

ERAU and FT will meet up for the series finale tomorrow, Saturday, April 16 at 2 p.m. at Sliwa Stadium.