DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle baseball team hosted the University of Tampa for a Sunshine State Conference series over the weekend, closing things out with a doubleheader Saturday. The Blue and Gold battled throughout and held the Spartans to their lowest run total in a conference game this season, but ultimately came up short, falling to 12-16 on the year.
RECORDS
Embry-Riddle: 12-16
Tampa: 26-4
ALL-TIME SERIES
- Embry-Riddle falls to 12-28 all-time against Tampa, extending its losing streak in the series to eight games.
Game 1 | Tampa - 4, Embry-Riddle - 3
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Tampa threatened early in the first inning with back-to-back hits to open the game, but Embry-Riddle worked out of the jam and stranded both runners.
- The Spartans broke through in the second, using a walk and hit-by-pitch to set up an RBI single to right-center. A defensive miscue on the following play allowed a second run to score.
- Both teams traded runs in the third inning before Tampa added what proved to be the decisive run in the fourth.
- The Eagles put together a three-hit sixth inning but were unable to capitalize, leaving all three runners stranded.
- Momentum shifted in the seventh as Cole Bullen and Aidan Corn singled to put runners on the corners. Drew Clymer launched a two-RBI double to center field, cutting the deficit to one.
- The final two innings were quiet, with just two hits and 14 combined batters, as Tampa held on for the 4-3 win.
INSIDE THE STATS
- Embry-Riddle outhit Tampa, 12-9, with six different players recording a hit.
- Drew Clymer led all hitters, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs.
Game 2 | Tampa – 6, Embry-Riddle – 0
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Game two was controlled by the Spartans, as the No. 2-ranked University of Tampa pulled away after two one-run victories earlier in the series, scoring six unanswered runs.
- Embry-Riddle opened with a 2-0 hitting advantage in the first inning but was unable to capitalize, leaving two runners stranded.
- Tampa broke things open in the second inning. With two runners on, a throwing error on a bunt allowed both to score. An 0-2 double later in the inning brought home a third run.
- The next four innings were quiet offensively, with just four combined hits between the two teams.
- The Eagles ran into trouble in the seventh, issuing three walks to the first four batters. A fielder's choice turned into a rundown that allowed two more runs to cross the plate.
- Tampa added its final run on a pair of singles and a passed ball, securing the 6-0 victory.
INSIDE THE STATS
- Both teams finished with six hits, while Embry-Riddle left five runners on base compared to Tampa's four.
- The Eagles committed the game's only error.