WINTER PARK, Fla. – Coming off a tough outing on Saturday at Alfond Stadium, the Embry-Riddle baseball team rebounded to claim the series in style on Sunday, as the Eagles (7-4, 2-1 SSC) staved off another late rally from Rollins (6-6, 1-2 SSC) to win 5-3.
 
Daytona's Blue & Gold used 10 hits to overcome the Tars, with Matthew Coker (2-for-5, 1 3B, 1R), Chase Bruno (2-for-5, 2R, 1RBI), Drew Clymer (2-for-3, 1R, 1RBI) and Zach Coldsnow (2-for-4, 1RBI) all collecting multi-hit games with runs batted in.
 
On the hill for the Eagles on Sunday was Justin Webster, who earned the win after a strong performance on a season-best 6.0IP with three hits, one run allowed, three walks and four strikeouts. John Barone worked for 1.2 innings, yielding one run on four hits, while Max Meyer picked up his first save of the year, a four-out effort featuring just one Rollins hit.
 
Rollins attacked first on the day, plating a run on a groundout in the bottom of the third inning, but Webster slammed the door shut with a strikeout to end any threat. ERAU rebounded the next half-inning when the Eagles collected three straight hits to open the frame. Bruno singled to left and then moved to third after a booming Camden Traficante (1-for-2, 1R) double to right center. In the next at bat, Clymer singled up the middle to score Bruno, tying things up at 1-1.
 
Webster followed that up with two strikeouts in the bottom of the fourth to keep momentum rolling. After a scoreless fifth inning, one which featured a second Jeremy Kennedy-Davis snipe of a runner stealing in the game, the Eagles then pounced for another in the top of the sixth.
 
Traficante drew his second hit by pitch of the day to lead things off, then Clymer sacrificed his at bat, bunting over Traficante to second. Coldsnow then sent a screamer to left field, allowing Traficante enough space to tear home from second, making it 2-1.
 
In the seventh, the Eagles extended the lead even further, thanks to errant fielding by the Tars. Coker reached on a fielder's choice, and advanced to second on an error from the second baseman. Bruno hit a well-struck ball to center that found a gap between the defender's glove and rolled all the way to the wall; with Bruno's speed, he made the error count, touching all four bags on the way to a quick ERAU lead, 4-1.
 
More tough fielding from the Tars in the next inning gave the Eagles a 5-1 advantage. Clymer singled up the middle, and advanced two bases on two wild pitches before Josh Reynolds drew a walk. Reynolds stole second, giving ERAU two runners in scoring position, then Kennedy-Davis grounded to second. The play went to first, but Reynolds threatened to take third, forcing a throw back to second base; Reynolds beat the tag and Clymer made them pay, taking home in swift fashion.
 
Rollins, having scored sixth in the eighth on Saturday, threatened once again in the late innings. An RBI double in the eighth made it 5-2, then found themselves with the bases loaded with one out in the ninth. They would get a sacrifice fly, but Meyer shut the door, inducing his fourth fly out of the day to earn the save and Embry-Riddle win.
 
The Eagles, after taking their first Sunshine State Conference series of the year, will return to the diamond on Wednesday and Thursday against Minnesota State-Mankato in Davenport, Fla. The two-game set will be the first of five games the Eagles will play in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. After two with MSU-M, ERAU will square off with Minnesota-Crookston (March 1) and Northwood (March 2) at Sliwa Stadium, then Minnesota-Duluth (March 10) in Auburndale, Fla.