JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Thanks to a flurry of nine extra-base hits, the Embry-Riddle baseball team reeled off a 13-3 victory at Edward Waters on Tuesday, completing the season sweep of the Tigers. The 19 total hits is a season-best for the Eagles (22-15) and tied for the 11th-best hit spree in program history.
The nine extra base hits from the Eagles included two triples from
Tyler Castelli, a triple from
Dillon Lifrieri and a home run from
AJ Marinello, his third of the year.
Timo Aracena added two doubles to the ledger as well. The three combined triples from Castelli and Lifrieri placed the Eagles squarely in a tie for fifth-best in the NCAA II for team triples (19).
To go along with the triples, Castelli drew two walks and scored three runs in a 2-for-4 afternoon. Marinello also had a day at the plate outside of his homer, going 4-for-6 with two runs and three RBI. In the leadoff spot,
Matthew Coker went 2-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI, while
Alex Britton added two hits, two runs and an RBI.
On the mound, the Eagles
Justin Webster earned the start and another solid win, hurling 5.0 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks, striking out five Tigers in the process. In relief, ERAU featured
Jacob Hoppe,
Keagan Perez and
Spencer Marinac. Perez shouldered the bulk of the relief innings, tossing 2.2 innings, yielding just three hits to one strikeout. Marinac closed things out in the ninth, needing just seven pitches to get the Tigers in order, including a strikeout.
For all the scoring in the books, the game started quietly with a scoreless first. But the Eagles struck for five runs just an inning later. Castelli drew a leadoff walk, then Marinello blooped a shot to no-man's land in right.
Alex Britton smashed a double to left after that, scoring Castelli easily, though Marinello was out on a throw from the outfield. Lifrieri then singled to left, scoring Britton, making it 2-0, followed by a
Timo Aracena double. With two outs, Coker singled to left to score Lifrieri before a pitching change. After a passed ball and a walk,
Camden Traficante plated two more as the Eagles' ninth batter of the inning.
Up 5-0 early, Webster continued his scoreless run for the next three innings. The Eagles extended the lead before the Tigers dented their half of the scoreboard in the fifth. Lifrieri notched a one-out single and moved to third on Aracena's second double of the afternoon.
Cameron Martinez then drew a walk before Coker was plunked by a pitch for an RBI HBP. After another pitching change,
Chase Bruno sent a ball deep near the wall to score Aracena to make it 7-0. EWU earned two runs back in the fifth after two walks and a single and fielder's choice, making it 7-2 after five.
The Tigers added one more run in the sixth, but the Eagles held firm in the final three innings. ERAU plated one in the seventh, three in the eighth and two in the ninth while holding EWU scoreless. After Lifrieri's leadoff triple, Martinez batted him home in the seventh. In the eighth, Castelli registered his first triple while leading off. A Marinello double moved him across the plate, then a couple batters later, Aracena loaded the bases with a long single to the wall. Martinez grabbed another RBI on a fielder's choice, before another Coker RBI single made it 11-3 heading into the bottom half. In the ninth, Castelli slammed his second triple before Marinello tanked a homer to left to push the lead to the final 13-3.
Spencer Marinac held down the bottom of the ninth with a pop-up, strikeout and lineout to end things.
Up next, the Eagles return to Sliwa Stadium in conference play as ERAU hosts Palm Beach Atlantic for a three-game set starting Friday.
