DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - The Embry-Riddle baseball team needed all of one home game for some Sliwa magic to show up as the Eagles scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off Auburn Montgomery 6-5 in the opening game of the GSC/SSC Clash, and the first home game of 2023. The Eagles improved to 3-2 overall when
Noah Clymer was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, following an inexplicable strikeout that resulted in a tying run for the Blue and Gold earlier in the inning.
Camden Traficante made a terrific Sliwa debut for the Eagles, hitting two home runs and flashing both his glove and arm at short as ERAU sent AUM to 1-5 on the young season.
Due to expected rain later in the day, Saturday's GSC/SSC Clash schedule has been altered. Embry-Riddle will take on Valdosta State at 10 a.m., followed by Auburn Montgomery and Florida Tech at 1:30 p.m. at Sliwa Stadium.
The fireworks came late for Head Coach
Randy Stegall's squad. Entering the ninth inning trailing 5-3, the Eagles got a leadoff homer from Traficante, his second long ball of the day, to pull within one run.
Timo Aracena followed with a single through the left side of the infield, and
Jeremy Kennedy-Davis came through with a base hit to center to put two men on with no outs. Following a strikeout and fielder's choice, the hosts were down to their final out with
Zach Coldsnow at the dish. Coldsnow fell behind 1-2, and on the next pitch swung and came up empty, seemingly ending the game, but when the pitch sailed by the AUM catcher, Coldsnow raced to first and Aracena touched home to knot things up at 5-5.
Garrett Bogart, who was at first when Coldsnow struck out, went to second and then third on a throwing error by the AUM catcher. The Warhawks intentionally walked
Alex Britton to get to Clymer, and the redshirt freshman became the latest in a long line of Eagles to collect a walk off RBI at Sliwa when he was hit by the first pitch of his plate appearance, scoring Bogart from third.
Truthfully, the Eagles were the better team throughout the vast majority of Friday's contest, pounding out 16 hits, but a poor defensive half-inning in the sixth allowed the visitors to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead in a matter of minutes.
The two starting pitchers matched zeroes through the first two frames, with
Tyler Stufano facing just one over the minimum his first time through the AUM order. Stufano got the aid of some excellent defense from the left side of the infield as Traficante made an incredible leaping catch in the first, and then made two turnaround jump throws in the second and third to keep the game scoreless.
The Eagles got on the board first when
Robert Post scored Traficante from second with a single after the Eagle shortstop singled with one out before moving to second when Aracena walked. Bogart then made it 2-0 with a base hit to left, plating Aracena.
Stufano cruised through the fourth and fifth innings, and Traficante hit his first Sliwa homer in the home fifth, a solo shot to right, pushing ERAU's lead to 3-0.
The top of the sixth was when things started to turn for the Blue and Gold, an error allowed AUM's leadoff man to reach, but Stufano was able to get two outs that would have ended the inning had it not been for the error. Back-to-back doubles tied the game at 3-3 before another Eagle miscue allowed the fourth Warhawk run to score in the frame, all unearned.
The Eagles went quietly in the sixth and seventh, while
Casey Keller kept AUM off the board until the eighth. Another Eagle error eventually led to an insurance run for the visitors, making it 5-3, and chasing Keller from the game.
Joe Balsam entered and threw just one pitch, getting a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning and send ERAU back into the dugout.
Embry-Riddle had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with one out, but a weak ground ball back to the mound resulted in a double play, keeping all the momentum on the AUM side.
Balsam worked around a leadoff single in the top of the ninth to keep the Eagles down only two runs, and in doing so, earned his first win of the season. Balsam (1-0) pitched 1.2 innings for ERAU, while Keller was solid in middle relief, going 1.2 frames, allowing one unearned run on two hits. Stufano threw 5.2 innings with no earned runs, allowing five hits.
Traficante finished 3-for-5 with two home runs, two RBIs, and three runs scored. Bogart went 3-for-5, while Aracena, Kennedy-Davis, Post, and Britton all had two hits in the win.
ERAU improved to 27-6 all-time in home openers, including a 17-4 mark at Sliwa.
The Eagles will take on Valdosta State at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning.
