VALDOSTA, Georgia - The Embry-Riddle baseball team put together an impressive season opening victory over Valdosta State on Friday night at Billy Grant Field, coming back from an early deficit to down the 2022 NCAA Regional participant 10-6. The win marked the Eagles (1-0) first season opening victory since 2018, and was the first true season opening road victory in program history (ERAU opened both 1990 and 1992 with 'road' victories over Bethune-Cookman, but both games were played at Jackie Robinson Ballpark where both teams played their games).
The Blue and Gold took advantage of two crucial VSU (0-1) errors in the game, particularly in big sixth and ninth innings while a pair of Eagle pitchers held the Blazers mostly in check, combining to allow just three earned runs.
Camden Traficante started the season with a leadoff walk in the top of the first, but the Eagles couldn't advance him as Kevin Tomas set the visitors down in order after issuing the free pass.
Tyler Stufano garnered the Opening Day start for Embry-Riddle, going 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first to move the game along to the second.
The Blazers strung together a couple hits in the second against Stufano, taking a 2-0 lead before the Eagle right-hander got out of the inning without further damage.
Tomas and Stufano matched zeroes in the third and fourth, but VSU added a two-out run in the fifth on a wild pitch from Stufano.
The game turned on a dime in the top of the sixth. After Tomas recorded two quick outs,
Alex Britton doubled to center before
Jeremy Kennedy-Davis traded places with him with a double to left, getting ERAU on the board. Following a pitching change,
Robert Post worked a walk and then a fielding error from the VSU second baseman allowed
Zach Coldsnow to reach and load the bases.
Garrett Bogart and
Timo Aracena both came through with back-to-back two-RBI singles against JJ Finn, first tying the game and then putting the visitors on top, 5-3.
Gunnar Harrison relieved Stufano to start the home sixth, delivering a shutdown inning, working around a two-out walk to do so.
Neither offense could do much in the seventh, but it was the Eagles that took advantage of another Blazer error in the eighth, tacking on a run thanks to a Aracena single to left, plating Coldsnow's pinch runner
Dylan Brazil for a 6-3 lead.
Harrison faced the minimum in the home eighth, leading to the Eagles busting things open in the ninth. Britton got things started by wearing a pitch, moving to second on a single from Kennedy-Davis and then scoring on a
Josh Reynolds base knock. Bogart brought in two more Eagles with a double to left, and then he scored when Aracena singled to right, making it a 10-3 game.
An Eagle error in the bottom of the ninth inning allowed the Blazers to creep back into the contest against Harrison, but the sophomore ended the game and sealed his four-inning save by inducing a ground out to second for the 27th out.
Stufano (1-0) got the win for the Blue and Gold, going five innings and allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Harrison picked up the first save of his college career, tossing four innings of relief, finishing with just three hits allowed, no earned runs, and three Ks.
Bogart and Aracena each had four RBIs for the Eagles, with Aracena and Kennedy-Davis finishing with three hits on the day.
The Eagles and Blazers meet up again tomorrow for a twin bill beginning at 1 p.m. at Billy Grant Field.
• ERAU improved to 25-9 all-time in season openers
• Kennedy-Davis picked up the first Eagle hit and first Eagle RBI of the 2023 season
• Noah Clymer's single in the sixth was the freshman's first collegiate hit
• Harrison's save was the first 3+ inning save since Troy Naab's on April 7, 2017 at Eckerd
