ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle baseball team earned its second consecutive conference series sweep on Saturday, and their seventh win in a row, taking two from Eckerd, 13-3 and 8-6. The Eagles (30-17, 16-11 SSC) used 20 hits in Game 1 to overpower the Tritons (17-30, 5-22, SSC), before needing a furious late-inning rally to win Game 2.
 
The 20 hits in the front end of the DH were the most by an Eagle squad since 2019, and the 10th-best offensive performance in program history (tied for second-best mark as a member of Division II). The Blue & Gold also scored six runs over the final two innings of Game 2 to preserve the sweep.
 
On the day, Tyler Castelli was the top performer, going a combined 6-for-10, including two doubles and two home runs, with six RBI and three runs scored. Chase Bruno collected four runs and an RBI on a four-hit day, while Camden Traficante finished a combined 3-for-9 with six runs and three RBI. 
 
Game 1
Yet again, the Eagles were the first to dent the scoreboard, this time in the first off the bat of AJ Marinello. After a Traficante one-out single put runners at first and second, Marinello got ahold of one, sending it over the left center wall to quickly put the Eagles up 3-0. An inning later, Castelli ripped a double down the left field line to plate Traficante to make it 4-0. Eckerd, however, cut the lead in half in their half of the inning on a two-RBI double to make it a game. 
 
Tyler Donay, picking up his eighth start on the year, pitched a strong 5.0 innings to earn the win. He gave up just two hits between the third and fourth innings, all the while, the Eagle offense added four more runs over that same time.
 
Britton and Bruno both collected one-out walks in the fourth, while a throwing error allowed Britton to come home in the next at bat. From there, Castelli boomed his second RBI double to deep left center, scoring Traficante yet again to make it 6-2. Then an inning later, back-to-back singles from Lifrieri and Matthew Coker paved the way for two more runs. Jeremy Kennedy-Davis flew out to center for a sacrifice fly, then Timo Aracena, who was hit by a pitch earlier, came around to score on a Britton single through the right side, pushing the lead to 8-2 in the fifth.
 
The Tritons scored one more in their half of the fifth, but a snipe throw from Marinello in right got the last run trying to come home on a clean tag from Kennedy-Davis to keep an 8-3 advantage. In the next half inning, Castelli sent a moonshot to right for his third extra base hit of the ballgame, pushing the lead to 9-3.
 
Keagan Perez, who earned a four-inning save, giving up just one hit and striking out two, sat the Tritons in order in the sixth and held them scoreless the rest of the way. With a six-run lead, Kennedy-Davis doubled then scored immediately on a Bruno single up the middle, but the Eagles weren't done. With two outs and two on in the top of the ninth, Traficante blitzed his team-leading fifth homer of the year over the left field wall to make it 13-3. Perez held on to secure the save and the ERAU series win.
 
Game 2
The second game of the double header was a different story, however. Though the Eagles stretched their streak of scoring first to eight consecutive games, thanks to an RBI single from Castelli in the top of the first, Eckerd took control over the next few innings. 
 
Justin Webster earned his 10th start of the year, but lasted just 2.1 innings, giving up four runs on six hits. A single up the middle tied things up at 1-1 in the second, but the Tritons plated three more in the third on a sac fly and a two-RBI single, making it 4-1. 
 
Max Meyer came on for 4.2 strong innings of work to earn his team-best eighth win of the year. He allowed just two runs on two hits, walking four and striking out five. 
 
It wasn't until the seventh inning that the Eagles began to mount their comeback bid. Castelli yet again got a hold of a pitch and sent a no-doubter over the right field wall to cut the lead in half. But EC answered back with a run in their half of the seventh as well. 
 
Down 5-2, Castelli drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth, kickstarting a four-run eighth inning. Lifrieiri then sent a chopper to short that skipped the glove and allowed two runs to come across, tying the game up in the blink of an eye. From there, Coker attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but was able to beat out the throw for an RBI single, giving the Eagles their first lead in seven innings. 
 
In the ninth, Dylan Brazil gave ERAU two more insurance runs on an infield hit. Brazil sent a hot shot to deep in the hole at second base, and was able to beat out the throw. Traficante ran full steam all the way home from second, beating out a throw at home to extend the lead to 8-5. EC managed one more run in the ninth, but that would be all as Joe Balsam picked up a two-inning save after shutting things down in the end.
 
With the series sweep, the Eagles will look to close out the regular season at home when Barry comes to Sliwa Stadium for three beginning Friday at 6 p.m.