VALDOSTA, Ga. – Despite allowing four runs in late in the ninth inning, the Embry-Riddle baseball team came away with the 5-4 victory over Valdosta State on the road, shutting the door on the Blazers' comeback bid.
 
Before the ninth, however, the Eagles pitching staff mowed through the Blazers' lineup with ease. Dillon Moran took the ball to start the game and worked for 6.0 innings of shutdown pitching, allowing no runs and no walks to just three hits, striking out eight batters, five of which were looking. In relief, Joe Balsam took control in the seventh and eighth, collecting four strikeouts between the two innings, but was touched up in the ninth, surrendering a two-run homer and two one-out base runners. Max Meyer came on for the final two outs.
 
At the plate, the Eagles were bolstered by a big four-run sixth inning to retain the win. Once again Chase Bruno collected a multi-hit effort, going 3-for-5. Tyler Castelli, Drew Clymer and Dillon Lifrieri all registered a hit and run scored.
 
It was a classic pitcher's duel into the sixth, with Alex Britton bringing home the game's only run to that point, sacrificing his at bat to let Clymer cross the plate after getting on base via error in the fourth inning. Moran punched out the side in the fourth and added one in the fifth and two more in the sixth before the Eagle coaching staff went to the bench. 
 
In the top of that sixth inning, the Eagles plated four runs, thanks to a nice display of small ball. Castelli and Clymer singled back-to-back to put two runners on early. Then Timo Aracena reached first base thanks to a solid bunt that ended up being ruled an error on the pitcher. With the bags loaded, the Blazers made a pitching change. Dillon Lifrieri made them pay, however, with a single through the left side scoring Castelli and moving runners up a station. AJ Marinello pinch-hit for Britton and grounded home Clymer, making it 3-0, before a wild pitch ultimately allowed Aracena to score. Matthew Coker then plated Lifrieri on a sacrifice fly to deep right to extend the lead to 4-0.
 
Balsam flew through the seventh and eighth innings, striking out two in each frame, adding one more to start the ninth, but then the Blazers pounced. With a runner on, Stowe homered to left field to quickly cut the lead to 5-2 Eagles. A hit and walk later, Meyer came to the hill in relief, but VSU loaded the bags and was able to bring two more runners across. Mixed in were a near HBP RBI, but the runner was batter was ruled to have leaned into the pitch. Finally, however, the Eagles got the Blazers to ground out for the final out, preserving the 5-4 victory.
 
Up next, the Eagles will conclude their run in the 2024 RussMatt Invite with a duel with Minnesota-Duluth on Sunday in Auburndale, Fla., at noon.