AMERICUS, Georgia - The Embry-Riddle baseball team got back to .500 while finishing up the non-conference portion of their 2023 schedule on Tuesday night, defeating the best team in the Peach Belt Conference, Georgia Southwestern, 7-6. The Eagles (21-21) went 5-1 against the PBC this year, capped by their win over the Hurricanes (26-17) at Hurricane Stadium on Tuesday, a game that saw the Eagles put traffic on the bases all night long en route to the victory.

Despite the packed bases all game, the visitors had to battle back from an early 4-0 deficit after GSW collected five hits and a walk against ERAU starter Casey Keller in the bottom of the first inning. ERAU could do no damage in the second despite a couple of baserunners, but did major harm to the Hurricane ERA in the third.

Alex Britton started the inning by wearing a pitch, scoring when Garrett Bogart doubled him home with one out. Following a Josh Reynolds walk and a GSW pitching change, Kevin Vittoria singled to load the bases before Timo Aracena drove in two with a base knock, getting the visitors with a run. Dylan Brazil came through with a double in the next at-bat, tying the game, and Matthew Coker put the Blue and Gold in front with an RBI groundout, scoring Aracena from third.

Keller worked a scoreless bottom of the third, and the score remained 5-4 in favor of the Eagles through the top of the fifth. Gunnar Harrison, who had relieved Keller to start the fourth, gave up two runs (one earned) in the bottom of the fifth as the hosts reclaimed the lead.

Embry-Riddle wasted an opportunity to tie the game in the sixth, stranding a pair of runners, but ERAU broke through in the seventh when Reynolds doubled, moved to third on a ground out and then scored on a wild pitch, making it 6-6.

Tyler Stufano moved the game to the eighth with a 1-2-3 home seventh, leading to the Eagles scoring the game's final run in the next half-inning. Matthew Coker walked to start the frame, advanced to second on a wild pitch and then moved to third on a successful sac bunt from Camden Traficante. Britton collected the game-winning RBI with a ringing single to center field, plating Coker for a 7-6 Eagle advantage.

The Canes threatened in the last of the eighth, getting a two-out double, but Joe Balsam came in, getting a harmless fly ball to right for the final out of the frame and then again stranded the potential game-tying run in scoring position in the ninth when he induced a fly ball to center for the 27th out of the night.

Stufano (6-4) got the win in 1.2 innings of relief, while Spencer Marinac tossed 2.0 scoreless innings and Joe Balsam picked up his sixth save of the season and 18th of his career.

Britton, Vittoria, Bogart, and Brazil all had two hits for the Eagles, while Aracena finished with a pair of RBIs and Reynolds scored twice.

ERAU returns to Sliwa Stadium for the final six games of 2023, starting with this weekend's SSC series against Eckerd. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m.