SAINT LEO, Fla. – For the first time in its history, the Embry-Riddle baseball team will advance to the NCAA II Super Regionals on the heels of a dominating offensive performance in the Regionals, as the Eagles (34-20) took care of business against West Florida (35-23), 16-10. 
 
ERAU put together a strong performance at the plate coming off a less than ideal showing on Saturday. The Eagles claimed the Region thanks to 18 hits (18-for-37 as a team), and a sturdy showing from the bullpen at the end of a long weekend. 
 
Four Eagles pieced together three hits apiece, led by Camden Traficante's four-hit, four-run, two RBI performance, including an oppo home run. Alex Britton (1R, 2RBI), AJ Marinello (2R, 5RBI) and Timo Aracena (3R, 2RBI) all had three hits, while Tyler Castelli (2R, 3RBI) continued his hot postseason streak as well. In all, every starter scored at least one run for the Blue & Gold in the win.
 
On the hill, ERAU's Thursday starter Dillon Moran tossed a stellar 4.0 innings of relief to pick up the win. He allowed three runs on five hits and struck out five batters all on less than four days' rest. Tristan Harley earned the start after finishing the game on Saturday, going 2.0 innings yielding six hits and six runs, but all six UWF runs were unearned. Freshman Jacob Hoppe was stellar in his 2.0 innings, giving up just one run on two hits. Back-end stalwart Joe Balsam finished the ninth, recording all three outs in just four total pitches to preserve the victory.
 
As they've done much of the back half of the year, the Eagles punched home the game's first runs, doing so in style with four in the first frame. After three of the first four batters reached safely, AJ Marinello drove a deep shot to left center to clear the bases. Dillon Lifrieri followed up with an infield single to score Marinello to give ERAU a 4-0 lead early.
 
West Florida went on a tear in the top of the second, however, plating six runs in the inning. With one out, the next batter reached on an error; then with two outs, the Argonauts pieced together two singles and two doubles to drive all six home, giving UWF a 6-4 lead in the blink of an eye. 
 
But the Eagles proved themselves to be a team of regional destiny, and answered the call right back to erase the Argo lead and regain it themselves with six runs in the bottom half of the inning. Aracena drew a walk, then Jeremy Kennedy-Davis drew a hit-by-pitch to put two aboard. Britton sacrificed his at bat to move both runners into scoring position before Bruno became the second hit batsman of the frame to load the bags. Like Marinello in the first, Castelli ripped a double, this time to right field, once again clearing the bases to take the lead. Marinello added his fourth RBI of the night in the next at bat, singling up the middle to score Castelli. A couple batters later, Aracena's second AB of the inning was fruitful as he drove in Marinello with a hard single through the right side to make it 10-6 with eight innings left to play.
 
Moran entered the game and immediately retired the first three batters he faced, but allowed a homer off the bat of Darrien McDowell, who hit seven on the week for the Argos. UWF added one run apiece in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to chip away at the lead. 
 
ERAU for its part scored another in the fifth, thanks to another Aracena double and a Britton RBI base knock. Then in the sixth, Camden Traficante's opposite field home run sparked a big inning for the Blue & Gold. In all, the Eagles extended their lead with four runs in the inning to take a 15-9 lead into the seventh inning. Aracena, Kennedy-Davis and Britton went back-to-back-to-back singles to give the Eagle staff some more breathing room. 
 
Traficante represented ERAU's final run of the evening in the seventh, after singling in the lead off spot once again. Marinello picked up his fifth RBi two batters later to put the Eagles up 16-9.
 
Hoppe and Balsam worked quickly, with Hoppe yielding just one run in the eighth; Balsam's four pitches to get out of the ninth tied his own mark for quickest inning of the season to vault the Eagles into the Super Regionals with the 16-10 victory. 
 
Up next, Embry-Riddle is set to face a familiar foe in Tampa on Friday, March 24. The two SSC squads will square off for a three-game set on the Spartans' campus for a chance at being one of the eight clubs to make it to Cary, N.C., for the Baseball Championships June 1-8.