VALDOSTA, Ga. – Embry-Riddle Baseball secured the series win against Valdosta State with a 10-3 defeat of the Blazers on Saturday. The Blue and Gold, who improved to 3-2 on the year, accumulated 10 runs, 13 hits and 10 RBI for the game, while the defense limited Valdosta State to just six hits.
 
AJ Marinello enjoyed his best outing at the plate so far this season. The graduate student was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk and four RBI and scored two runs of his own.
 
Tyler Donay entered the game in the fifth and earned the win for Embry-Riddle, striking out four while scattering two hits in 4.1 innings of work to get his first win of the year.
 
RECORDS
Embry-Riddle: 3-2
Valdosta State: 1-4
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Inning
• Marinello walked to lead off the game.
• Matthew Coker's single to left sent Marinello to second and Max Kops singled to right to score Marinello for a 1-0 Eagle lead.
 
Second Inning
• A Valdosta State error put Malachi Peña on base.
• Blazer starter Hunter Booth induced back-to-back flyouts, but another VSU error put Elias Campbell on base, bringing Marinello to the plate.
• Marinello's second homerun of the year plated three runs and increased the Eagle lead to 4-0.
 
Fourth Inning
• The Blazers got three one-out singles to score their first run of the game, all with one out.
• Eagle catcher Alex Imposimato threw out the runner trying to steal third and starter Keegan Perez got the next batter to ground out to third to keep the home team from adding to its tally.
 
Sixth Inning
• Peña greeted Blazers' reliever Trent Lewis with a home run to left field.
• Three straight hits added another run to the Eagle tally and chased Lewis.
• With runners on the corners, Coker put down a sacrifice bunt that scored Aiden Schmidt to make the score 7-1 in favor of the Eagles.
 
Seventh Inning
• After Noah Clymer singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, he crossed the plate on Imposimato's single up the middle.
• Adam Kuzmicki, who came in to run for Peña who reached via a walk, scored on Campbell's single for a 9-1 Eagle advantage.
 
Eighth Inning
• Blazer miscues allowed Coker to reach and advance to second.
• Timo Aracena drove in Coker for the Eagles' 10th run of the game.
 
Ninth Inning
• A walk and a home run led to Valdosta State scoring the final two runs of the game.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles and the Blazers close out the series at 12 p.m. on Saturday.