TAMPA – In its best season in Division II to date, the Embry-Riddle baseball team's 2024 campaign came to a close on Saturday as the No. 20 Eagles (35-22) dropped a double header to No. 1 Tampa (48-8) in the Super Regional. 
 
ERAU defiantly took game one of the best-of-three series on Friday night, but the Spartans reeled off 15-1 and 13-3 wins to claim the Super Regional contest. The Eagles finish the season having beaten the nation's number one team twice in six games.
 
In game one, the Eagles were tasked with a tough challenge in facing the national pitcher of the year, Skylar Gonzales. The Spartan righty held ERAU without a hit until Jeremy Kennedy-Davis sent a lining double to left center to score Timo Aracena. It wasn't a perfect game, however, as the Eagles at the dish drew five walks and two hit-by-pitches off Gonzales. 
 
Dillon Moran, who was dominant all season, especially in Sunshine State Conference play, was touched up by the mighty Spartans offense, charged with 10 earned runs. Moran, however, did punch out a game-high seven batters, bringing his season total to an impressive 115, tops in the conference by 13.
 
In game two, the Eagles were the ones to jump out to an early lead thanks to the heavy bat of AJ Marinello. The Eagle right fielder blasted a first-inning shot deep to center field off the batter's eye to put three runs on the board early. Unfortunately, that would be the entirety of the ERAU offense on the day as UT reeled off 13 unanswered runs to take the series. In the two games combined, Tampa hit eight home runs, four in each contest. 
 
Though the Eagles' year is complete, there was much positive movement as ERAU reached the NCAA II tournament for the second time in program history (2019) and the Super Regionals for the first time, being just one win away from a trip to Cary, N.C.