DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After a thrilling win on Thursday, the Embry-Riddle baseball team dropped a tough decision to Minnesota-Crookston on Friday at Sliwa Stadium, 8-6. The Eagles (8-6, 2-1 SSC) will return to the diamond on Saturday to continue the 2024 RussMatt Invite.
Dillon Lifrieri, picking up the start in left field, third baseman
Matthew Coker, catcher
Alex Imposimato and
Alex Britton, patrolling center field, all had multi-hit performances in the effort, combining to go 8-for-14 with five runs and three RBI between them.
Camden Traficante continued his hit streak as well with an RBI double in the first inning.
Tristan Harley picked up the start and went 4.0IP, yielding just two unearned runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Between Harley and relievers
John Barone,
Keagan Perez and
Max Meyer, the Eagle staff once again struck out 10 batters. But Crookston found timely hits late while the Eagle bats went quiet after a strong bounce-back sixth inning.
UM-C started off by loading the bases in the top of the first, but Harley got out of the jam letting by just one run. Traficante retaliated in the bottom of the frame with a loud RBI double to deep center, plating
Chase Bruno, who was hit by the first pitch he saw all night.
Harley rebounded in the top of the second with two big strikeouts, and added two more in the third, both of which came with two runners in scoring position. ERAU then took the lead in the bottom of the third when Pete Castoldi sent a fly ball deep enough in the park to score Imposimato who was standing on third.
The fourth inning saw two more runs scored, one from each club. In the home half, Lifrieri sent a screamer down the right field line and legged out a double, then
Alex Britton sent a deep single to right, plating Lifrieri to make it 3-2.
Barone's night got off to a good start in the fifth inning, thanks to a strikeout, Imposimato snagging a runner stealing and nice play from Bruno at second base. But the Golden Eagles from Crookston scored four in the sixth to go up 6-3. But a big bottom half of the inning would tie things up.
Back-to-back Lifrieri and Britton singles led to the first run off a sac fly from Imposimato, then Coker ripped a shot down the right field line and hustled out a triple, easily scoring the speedy Britton. Then Coker pounced on a wild pitch, taking home easily, making it 6-6.
UM-C got an RBI single in the seventh, however, then added an insurance run in the top of the eighth. Unfortunately, the Eagles saw only three more base runners in the final three innings, all by way of a walk.
The Eagles will host Northwood on Saturday in the fourth game in as many days for the Blue & Gold.
