HARDEEVILLE, S.C. – In a game which featured 32 hits and 24 runs, the Embry-Riddle baseball team ran away with its seventh road win this season, taking a 14-10 scoring-frenzy at South Carolina Beaufort. The Eagles (13-6, 2-1 SSC) earned their fifth win in a row on Wednesday, thanks to the 14 runs on a season-high 18 base knocks. The Sand Sharks (7-14, 2-4 PBC), however, registered 14 base hits, also a season-high mark for an ERAU opponent.
Chase Bruno had a day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBI with a walk. Both
Camden Traficante (3-for-6, 3R, 2RBI) and
Timo Aracena (1-for-5, 2R, 3RBI) left the yard, with Traficante sending home his fourth of the year, while Aracena registered home run number two.
Dillon Lifrieri picked up his fourth multi-hit effort in the last six games, going 3-for-5 with a double, while
AJ Marinello added a 2-for-5, 2R, RBI day in right field.
Drew Clymer (2-for-6, R, RBI) and backstop
Cameron Martinez (2-for-4, R) also had multiple base knocks, while
Tyler Castelli plated two and also scored a run after his third triple of the year.
The Eagles used Wednesday as a bull pen day, starting
Tyler Donay, who yielded to
Tristan Harley,
Jacob Hoppe,
Joe Balsam and
Max Meyer after 3.0 solid innings. In his second appearance on the year, Hoppe worked for 2.1 innings, striking out three and giving up two runs to pick up the win. Balsam shoved for 2.0 innings, giving up just one hit against two strikeouts, then Meyer came on in the ninth. Meyer gave up a pair of runs, but ended the game with a big strikeout before things got closer.
Traficante lit up the scoreboard early, driving out a long fly ball down the right field line, plating himself and Bruno after just three batters. Into the second inning, Coker sent a deep shot to right to score Marinello on a sacrifice fly, then Bruno singled to the center fielder scoring Martinez, making it 4-0 after an inning and a half.
USCB added two runs of their own in the bottom half, however, making it 4-2 on a two-RBI single to the outfield. Marinello's slap to right in the next half inning scored Aracena to make it 5-2, but the Sand Sharks attacked in the fourth. They tagged Harley in just 0.2 innings, scoring four runs to take a slim 6-5 lead into the fifth.
Aracena whipped things around quickly in the next frame, though, knocking the stitches off a shot to right, scoring three runs to put the Eagles back ahead, 8-6 in the blink of an eye. Castelli grounded into a fielder's choice in the next inning, scoring Bruno who made it home on an errant throw. Bruno added more offense in the top of the seventh, singling home Marinello with a shot to left field, now up 10-6.
USCB scratched a pair of runs across in their half of the seventh on a fielding error, making it 10-8. But a quiet eighth inning gave way to a combined six-run ninth inning.
Dylan Brazil worked a leadoff walk, and eventually came around on a Traficante grounder that caused an error. Castelli then ripped a triple to deep center, scoring Bruno and Traficante. Then Clymer singled to right center to score Castelli, and the Eagles held a 14-8 lead when the dust settled. Though the Sand Sharks used small ball in the bottom of the last inning, Meyer got out of a jam with a big-time strikeout swinging to end things at 14-10.
After its fifth consecutive win, the Eagles hope to carry momentum into the weekend as a conference duel with the nation's No. 1 team, Tampa, awaits at Sliwa Stadium Friday and Saturday.
