MELBOURNE, Fla. – Battling the cold and strong winds on the road, the Embry-Riddle baseball team seemed destined for a low-scoring game after a quiet first three innings, but the Eagles bats came alive to put up three crooked numbers, eventually drowning the Florida Tech Panthers, 13-3, on Tuesday night.
 
In total 10 Eagles registered hits, 16 base-knocks all-said, in the winning effort against just seven strikeouts. Patience was on display as well, as ERAU drew 14 walks, which ties the program record and sets a new mark in the Eagles' NCAA II era. Conversely, Florida Tech managed just three runs on five hits and struck out 10 times against the Eagles' arms. It's the third time in four games the ERAU staff notched 10-plus strikeouts to open the year. To boot, the bullpen held FIT without a hit in the final five frames.
 
The Panthers struck first on the day, scoring a run off starter Tyler Donay, but Eagle-eyed fielding helped out by way of a 1-3-6 pickoff – ERAU's first of two on the night – and a running grab from Alex Britton in left that sandwiched the run scored. FIT's Josh Beck struck out four and walked five initially, but the last walk led to an inning-ending double-play for the Blue & Gold to end the second.
 
In the top of the fourth inning, Josh Reynolds evened the ledger with a single to left scoring Timo Aracena, who legged out a double previously, to make it 1-1. But in the bottom of the frame, FIT's Roman Samson connected on a Donay pitch that left the yard, thanks in large part to the near 20-miles-per-hour wind taking the ball over the fence, making it 3-1.
 
But the next half inning drastically turned the tide. The Eagles mustered up five runs on five hits in the frame, four of which came with two outs. First AJ Marinello reached on a fielder's choice, beating out a double play. After Jeremy Kennedy-Davis singled to center, Reynolds drew a walk to load the bases. Dylan Brazil collected an infield hit, followed by Britton's blooper to left and Chase Bruno's seeing-eye single to right. In a span of four batters, ERAU held a 6-3 advantage.
 
By this time, Joe Balsam replaced Donay on the hill. Donay did well in his 4.0 innings of work, allowing just two earned and a walk to five strikeouts. Balsam, who earned the win, fought for 1.1 innings and kept the ball on the ground. Justin Webster next came on in relief in the sixth, striking out the first two batters he faced. Isaiah Eberheart followed in the seventh, working for 1.2 innings, and Trevor Nolan wrapped things up with one strikeout in the ninth on a full inning of work.
 
After a Reynolds sacrifice fly in the sixth, the Eagles added four more runs to the ledger in the seventh. Camden Traficante dialed up his third triple of the young season, scoring Britton. Traficante then crossed home on a wild pitch, before Kennedy-Davis reached on an error that scored Dillon Lifrieri, the latter of whom collected a game-best three hits on the night. Then Aracena, whose infield single put him on first, came around to score on another wild pitch, making things 11-3.
 
The Eagles would go on to add two more in the eighth, thanks to Bruno's single to right scoring Brazil, and a Traficante sac fly that plated Britton. The 13th and final run would come in the ninth when Traficante singled up the middle to send home Elias Campbell.
 
After the win, the 3-1 Eagles will remain on the road with a three-game set in a visit to Auburn University Montgomery beginning Friday.