DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - The Embry-Riddle baseball team let one get away to start Wednesday before blowing out Purdue Northwest in the day's finale as the Eagles and Pride split a twin bill at Sliwa Stadium. The Eagles (11-9) saw a 4-0 lead slip away before tying the day's opener later, but ultimately the Pride (4-10) came away with a 9-8 win to start things off before the Blue and Gold blitzed PNW 9-1 in the second contest. Both games were scheduled for seven innings.

This coming weekend's Sunshine State Conference series has been altered due to weather concerns. ERAU and Saint Leo will meet in a doubleheader on Friday, March 17 at 2 p.m., and then play again on Sunday in a single game. Sunday's first pitch time is to be determined.

Game 1 • PNW 9, ERAU 8 (7 inn.)
Embry-Riddle got out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning before the visitors scored eight straight runs in the fourth and fifth. The Eagles battled all the way back to tie the game at 8-8 heading into the seventh inning, but a two-out rally from PNW pushed the game-winning run across and ERAU couldn't muster the tying run in the bottom of the inning.

It was a poor defensive showing by the Pride in the second that allowed ERAU to score four runs without registering a hit. Three PNW errors and a bases-loaded walk made it 4-0 in favor of the Eagles, and when ERAU starter Dillon Moran finished his scheduled three innings perfectly, facing the minimum, it looked like the Eagles would cruise to an easy win.

However, a disastrous fourth saw the hosts' 4-0 lead turn into a 6-4 deficit as PNW strung together four hits and an Eagle error helped the PNW cause as the visitors took the lead.

The Pride added two more runs in the fifth on a pair of sacrifice flies, going up 8-4 before the Eagles had a little two-out rally in the home fifth. Zach Coldsnow singled in the Eagles' fifth run, scoring Timo Aracena, and Kevin Vittoria reached on the Pride's fourth error of the night as two more Eagle runs scored, making it a one-run game at 8-7.

Brock Chance kept the visitors at eight runs with a scoreless sixth, and Robert Post picked up a game-tying RBI triple in the next half-inning, scoring Chase Bruno from first for an 8-8 contest. However, with Post's pinch runner Elias Campbell at third and just one out, the Eagles could not score the go-ahead run, sending the game to the seventh.

Gunnar Harrison got two quick outs in the seventh before a double to left center kept the inning alive, and a single up the middle by the next Pride batter pushed them back in front, 9-8.

The Eagles brought the tying run to second in the last of the seventh with just one out, but again the Eagles couldn't score the crucial run as the Pride closer Riley Gallagher was able to save the game for PNW.

Alex Britton was 2-for-3 with two runs scored for the Eagles in the first game.

Game 2 • ERAU 9, PNW 1
The second game was all Embry-Riddle with the Eagles pounding out 11 hits and scoring nine runs against six PNW pitchers all making their season debuts. Spencer Marinac (1-0) was great for the Eagles in his first start of the year, going four scoreless innings with three strikeouts, while allowing just four hits.

ERAU got the lead in the first when Camden Traficante scored thanks to another PNW error, and ERAU added three more in the second, two from the bat of Traficante with a single through the right side of the infield that plated Dylan Brazil and Vittoria. Vittoria had brought in the second Eagle run of the game with a double to left center, plating Tyler Castelli all the way from first.

Marinac worked around two baserunners in the third, and another in the fourth, and Embry-Riddle put the game away with a huge, five-run fifth, starting with Aracena's third home run of the season, a no-doubter to left that was marked the program's 300th all-time homer at Sliwa Stadium.

With runners at second and third, Castelli collected an infield single as both Jeremy Kennedy-Davis and Josh Reynolds came home, and both Bruno and Traficante collected RBIs with base hits later in the frame as Embry-Riddle enjoyed a 9-0 cushion.

Purdue Northwest broke up the shutout in the seventh, but Tyler Donay kept the damage to a minimum with Embry-Riddle coming away with the 9-1 win.

Traficante went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Vittoria and Brazil both had two hits in the victory. Blaine Hogue followed Marinac's start with two scoreless frames himself before Donay handled the ninth.