DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle baseball team tried to make a game of things in the bottom of the eighth with two runs, but that was ultimately not enough as the visiting Florida Tech Panthers took the opening game of the weekend series, 3-2.
 
The Eagles (15-11, 4-6 SSC) dropped their fifth in seven games, though the stretch has come against tough conference foes. FIT moves to 13-17 (6-7 SSC) with the win and evens the season series at 1-1, after ERAU took a 13-3 contest in Melbourne earlier in the season.
 
Both Chase Bruno and Josh Reynolds collected multi-hit performances, while Dillon Lifrieri's two-out, two-RBI single in the eighth represented the Eagles' scoring. Camden Traficante and Alex Imposimato also collected base knocks on the evening, with Traficante coming around to score in the eighth.
 
On the mound, ERAU got a solid start out of Tristan Harley, who worked his longest outing of the season at 6.0 innings pitched. Harley was tagged for 10 hits, but gave up just the three runs in the second inning. He struck out three batters, as did reliever Tyler Donay. Donay appeared for 2.0 strong innings of no-hit ball, walking two. Joe Balsam also threw a hitless ninth inning, striking out one.
 
Harley opened up the game with a 1-2-3 inning which featured three consecutive groundouts, but Tech jumped in the second frame. A walk, two singles and a double gave the visiting Panthers a quick 3-0 lead after two.
 
After a quiet third inning, the Eagles looked poised to turn things around in the fourth. Bruno led off with a double, followed by a Traficante walk and a Josh Reynolds infield single to load the bags quickly with no outs. But ERAU struck out in three consecutive at bats to end the inning scoreless.
 
Thanks to two double plays by the Eagles infield on the night (a 5-4-3 and a 6-4-3), Harley was able to settle in and gave up just one hut until the seventh. After a hit and walk, Donay took the mound and got the last three outs consecutively to end the threat.
 
ERAU had a runner on second in the seventh, but saw no fruits of the labor until the eighth. After FIT starter Josh Beck was pulled after 7.0 and just four hits, the Eagles finally dented the scoreboard. Traficante earned a one-out single, then Reynolds drew a walk, his third time on base all night. Two batters later, Timo Aracena was hit by a pitch to load the bags for Lifrieri. Lifrieri punched a single to center, plating both pinch runner Jack Allison and Reynolds to make it a game at 3-2.
 
Balsam took the hill with a runner on in the ninth, but shut the door with a flyout, groundout and strikeout. But ERAU couldn't capitalize late. Even though Bruno secured a two-out double to stay alive, the Eagles ultimately fell, 3-2.
 
The two squads will meet again Saturday on the diamond for a double header to decide the series.