DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle baseball team claimed the series sweep of Valdosta State on Tuesday in thrilling fashion, as Chase Bruno walked it off in the bottom of the 10th inning. The win in extras keeps the yearly walk off streak at Sliwa Stadium intact, ERAU having walked off at least one game since the opening of the park in 2000.
 
With the win, the Eagles move to 24-17 on the year, and Valdosta State does the same at 24-17 out of the Gulf South Conference. ERAU claims the series after a pair of 5-4 wins. The Eagles held off a furious comeback in Valdosta in March, then walked it off in April to win just its second series against the Blazers since 2000.
 
The offense secured the final run, but the Eagle defense really shone on Tuesday. Aracena, Traficante and Bruno all made incredible, rangy plays all night to keep VSU runs off the board in style. Aracena registered a double-play, catching a lineout at the hot corner before tagging the occupied third base to end the inning. Traficante and Bruno each collected five putouts in the middle infield as well, each with two gold-glove looks. In the outfield, both Alex Britton and AJ Marinello collected outfield assists; Britton hit Traficante on a relay in an unreal play to erase a potential triple in the seventh, while Marinello gunned down a runner at home in the eighth to prevent a second run to come across, preserving the Eagles' lead at the time.
 
Bruno capped the win with the base knock to right, but it was Timo Aracena's big double to right center earlier in the inning that kicked things off. ERAU had held a 4-2 lead until the eighth inning. Valdosta State gained a run back in the eighth and tied it in the ninth, but Aracena's double and Bruno's winner kept the evening intact. 
 
ERAU was outhit on the night, 10-7, and Aracena's two hits marked the most by an Eagle. AJ Marinello collected three RBI on the night, including a two-RBI single in the first inning. Including Marinello, the top of the Eagles' order all earned a base knock, including Alex Britton, Bruno (1R, GW RBI), Camden Traficante (2R) and Tyler Castelli (1R). 
 
On the mound, the Eagles threw Justin Webster to start (3.0 IP, 2H, 2R, 4BB, 4K), followed by a lengthy relief effort from Tristan Harley (4.0 IP, 4H, 1R, 3BB, 1K). Tyler Donay, Joe Balsam and Spencer Marinac all completed one inning as well, with Marinac coming away with the victory, his first on the year. Combined, the Eagles staff chucked seven strikeouts of the Blazers.
 
After Webster got out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the first unscathed, Marinello gave the Eagles a much-needed two-run lead in the bottom half. Brutton singled through the right side to lead things off, then Bruno and Traficante were subsequently both walked to load the bags. Britton was out at home in the next at bat, a soft grounder in the infield, but Marinello connected on a ball through the left side to plate two runs.
 
VSU tied it back up at 2-2 in the top of the third thanks to a double and wild pitch, but the Eagles muscled back in the elad in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Traficante singled to third, a hot shot in the infield, followed by a Castelli single-turned-triple via error, while Traficante scooted home from first. Marinello then grounded out, but with enough oomph to get Castelli home to go up 4-2.
 
Both teams threatened late, but VSU scored one run in the eighth and one in the ninth to finally tie it back up. A sour ninth inning, two grounders and a strikeout of the Eagles, forced things to extra innings, however. 
 
But after Marinac came in to start the 10th, he shut down the bottom and top of the Blazer order to head to the bottom of the 10th. Aracena led things off with a ball hit to deep right center that would have been out on any other non-windy day. Jeremy Kennedy-Davis sacrificed his at bat with a bunt to move Aracena 90 feet away. After Britton was intentially walked, Bruno splayed a hit to right field deep enough to easily score Aracena to walk things off. 
 
After the thriller, the Eagles will head back to conference play with a visit from Florida Southern in a three-game set beginning Friday.