TAMPA, Florida - The Embry-Riddle baseball team equaled No. 2 Tampa's 12 hits on Friday night, but the Spartans outscored the Eagles 8-5 to take the Sunshine State Conference series opener at the UT Baseball Field. The Eagles (10-6, 2-2 SSC) tied the game twice, and made it interesting late, but couldn't get over the hump against UT (15-3, 4-0 SSC).

It was the Spartans who scored first as the home team took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning against ERAU starter Tyler Stufano (3-1). Embry-Riddle answered in the second when Garrett Bogart singled home Timo Aracena after the latter doubled to start the frame.

UT regained the lead in the next half-inning, but again the visitors responded when Camden Traficante scored AJ Marinello with a double to right in the third inning to tie the score at 2-2.

Stufano kept the game tied in the bottom of the third, but the Spartans manufactured a run in the fourth to take the lead for good.

Tampa added a run in the fifth before ERAU got one back in the sixth when Jeremy Kenndy-Davis began the inning with a triple before scoring on a Josh Reynolds single. However, the hosts immediately plated two runs in the home-half of the frame to go up 6-3.

Tampa put two more runs on the board in the seventh, leading 8-3 before Aracena homered down the left field line with one out in the eighth, and a few batters later, Alex Britton collected an infield hit to plate Reynolds, making it 8-5.

That was as close as ERAU would get however as Braydon Nelson earned his first save of the year in three innings of relief.

The Eagles and Spartans meet up again tomorrow for a twin bill beginning at 1 p.m.