DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - In one of the bigger series victories in Embry-Riddle baseball's NCAA era, the Eagles concluded a three-game Sunshine State Conference sweep of the third-ranked Rollins Tars on Saturday, 10-7. The Eagles (25-23, 12-18 SSC) sprinted out to a 9-2 lead on Senior Day before the Tars got within three runs late, but senior Tyler Stufano and Joe Balsam locked things down, preserving the win for senior Conner Dunnam. The Tars (34-16, 22-8 SSC) suffered their first SSC sweep since the COVID-shortened 2021 season, and their first SSC series loss this year.

The long ball played a major part in Saturday's contest as the two teams combined for six home runs during the middle innings, four off the bats of the visitors before Stufano and Balsam worked scoreless frames in the seventh, eighth, and ninth.

The scoring started early as the Tars got to Dunnam for two runs in the first, but the Eagles quickly answered when senior Garrett Bogart doubled in a run, scoring himself a few moments later on a Robert Post single through the infield.

Dunnam went 1-2-3 in the second before dancing out of danger in the third, stranding a pair of Rollins runners with a foul out and pop up, sending his team back to the plate where they would reward the senior with a six-run outburst.

Senior Kevin Vittoria walked before Alex Britton did the same, and after a meeting on the mound Camden Traficante singled in the go-ahead run for a 3-2 lead. Rollins' starter Kieran Casey got two outs, but the Blue and Gold strung together a big two-out rally, starting with a HBP for AJ Marinello to load the bases. Senior Lance Minson worked a walk, bringin in a run and forcing the Tars to go to the pen. Matthew Coker greeted Ryan Furey with a hard-hit single back up the middle, scoring two teammates before Dylan Brazil did the same, pushing the Eagle lead to 8-6 in a matter of 90 seconds.

Dunnam delivered a shutdown inning in the fourth and Britton connected on his first Sliwa homer in the bottom of the inning, extending the Eagle cushion to 9-2. 

During the Eagle fourth, Rollins' skipper was ejected from the contest, providing some fuel to the Tar fire and they hit a pair of homers in the fifth, a solo shot and a two-run blast, getting the visitors with 9-5 before Dunnam got out of the frame without further damage.

The Tars went to the bullpen once again to start the bottom of the fifth, and this time Coker greeted the new Tar reliever with his first Embry-Riddle long ball, getting some of that momentum back for the home team.

The No. 3 Tars had one more rally in them, thanks again to a pair of home runs, this time in the sixth, trimming the Eagle lead to 10-7 before Stufano relieved Dunnam with two outs, striking out the Tar center fielder for the last out of the sixth.

The Eagles didn't do much against the last Rollins pitcher of the game as Spencer Mangum threw three scoreless innings of relief, but he was matched by Stufano in the seventh and eighth before he ran into trouble in the ninth.

Back-to-back singles to start the inning chased Stufano from the contest as Eagle closer Joe Balsam entered, looking for his seventh save of the year. Balsam struck out Parker Smith before inducing an infield fly off the bat of Spencer Sarringer, and finally punctuating the weekend sweep with a strikeout of Andres Antonini.

Dunnam (3-7) earned the victory for ERAU, while Coker finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored, and Britton, Traficante, and Bogart all had a pair of hits. Britton scored three of ERAU's 10 runs. Brazil was 1-for-4 with two RBIs, making one of the most magnificent catches in Sliwa Stadium history in the middle innings.

Bogart, Dunnam, Blaine Hogue, Minson, Stufano, and Vittoria were all honored prior to Saturday's ballgame.