DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - The No. 1 Tampa Spartans completed a three-game sweep of the Embry-Riddle baseball team on Sunday, winning two games by the scores of 9-2 and 19-3. The Eagles (14-17, 4-11 SSC) got a fantastic start from
Kelsey Ward in the opener before defense let him down, and in the second, the Spartans (29-3, 14-1 SSC) set a record for an ERAU opponent with 28 hits to complete the sweep.
Game 1 - UT 9, ERAU 2
In the day's opener, Ward matched UT starter Michael Paul pitch-for-pitch through six innings, and exited the game with a 2-1 lead, but five ERAU errors over the final three frames allowed seven unearned runs to score as the Spartans claimed the series with a 9-2 win.
Robert Post brought in the first run of the day in the fourth, driving in
Jeremy Kennedy-Davis for a 1-0 lead, but the Spartans were able to tie the game in the following half inning.
Embry-Riddle again took a slim lead in the sixth when
Josh Reynolds hit a sac fly to right, scoring
Garrett Bogart, making it 2-1 Eagles.
After a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh, Ward was relieved by
Casey Keller, but a throwing error and dropped fly allowed three runs, all unearned to come around and score in the inning, giving the visitors a 4-2 lead.
The Spartans added five more insurance runs over the final two frames, four of them unearned, and the Eagles couldn't get much going against UT closer Braydon Nelson as he closed things out to secure the win.
Keller (3-4) took the loss for the Eagles, despite none of the three runs he allowed being earned. Kennedy-Davis finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Game 2 - UT 19, ERAU 3
In the series finale, the Spartans and Eagles were both held in check offensively until the fourth, but back-to-back seven-run innings for UT in the fifth and sixth put the game well out of reach for ERAU.
Embry-Riddle cycled through 25 players in the game with
Jax Banco registering his first career base hit in the defeat.
Garner Spoljaric (2-2) was tagged with the loss for ERAU.
The Eagles travel to Flagler on Tuesday, April 5 for a 6 p.m. non-conference contest.