LAKELAND, Florida - The Embry-Riddle baseball team matched its' largest margin of victory in program history over Florida Southern on Friday night with a 12-6 win to begin the two team's weekend Sunshine State Conference series. The Eagles (20-19, 8-14 SSC) scored eight runs in the second inning en route to the blowout win while Dillon Moran earned his fourth victory on the season with seven strong innings. The Mocs (27-12, 12-7 SSC) had won five of their last six before the Eagles came to town, and despite FSC out-hitting ERAU 13-12, the home team couldn't keep up with the Blue and Gold on the scoreboard.

The big second inning for the Eagles started with two outs. Dylan Brazil collected the first of his three hits on the day to start the Eagles' hit-fest. After Matthew Coker walked to load the bases against FSC starter Nathan Madej, Camden Traficante gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead with a bases-loaded walk before Alex Britton drove in two more with a single to left, making it 3-0. AJ Marinello followed suit with an RBI single through the right side, and when the Mocs' first baseman made a poor throw, Britton and Marinello scampered home for a 6-0 Eagle lead.

The inning wasn't over for the Eagles as Garrett Bogart singled to keep the frame going and Josh Reynolds unloaded on a Madeh pitch, driving it out of the park to left center to cap the second inning and make it an 8-0 ERAU cushion.

Moran used a nifty 5-4-3 double play to escape the bottom of the second, and worked quickly through the third and fourth unscathed. However, the Mocs finally got to the Eagle righty in the fifth, scoring four times before Moran was able to get the first out, but he was able to keep the damage to just those four tallies, pushing the game to the sixth with an 8-4 lead, and he was able to settle down in that next inning, facing just four batters without allowing a run.

Embry-Riddle added two more to their total in the seventh, once when Marinello scored on a wild pitch, and another when Kevin Vittoria recorded a sacrifice fly, allowing Bogart to tag and score for a 10-4 advantage.

Moran shrugged off a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh, sending the contest to the eighth where ERAU scored twice more when Britton hit his first collegiate homer, a two-run shot to right as the Eagles enjoyed a 12-4 scored.

Gunnar Harrison took over for Moran to start the eighth, surrendering a solo homer to start the inning but no more, and Tyler Stufano closed things out in the ninth, getting the final three outs while the Mocs were able to scratch across a lone run.

The Eagles finished with five two-out RBIs on the evening, while Britton's four RBIs led the way for the Eagles. Brazil was 3-for-5, with Traficante, Britton, Marinello, and Bogart all scoring two runs each.

Moran (4-3) struck out two in seven innings before Harrison and Stufano handled the last two frames.

The Eagles and Mocs meet again tomorrow, Saturday, April 22 at 4 p.m. for game two of the three-game series.