DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The No. 7th-ranked Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (13-3) baseball team defeated No. 17 Bellevue University (6-4-1) 10-6 Monday night at Sliwa Stadium.
The Bruins will return to action tomorrow (March 5) with a contest at Warner University. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EST.
The Eagles grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI double to right field by Jeff Lemon.
Bellevue cut the lead to 2-1 in the second after Brian Embery scored on a wild pitch and tied the game in the third when Dusty Kerns reached home, also on a wild pitch.
ERAU regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth frame, scoring six unearned runs highlighted by a two-run single by Adam Cellini and an RBI single up the middle by Liam Goodall.
The Bruins got one run back in the sixth inning when a single down the left field line by Nate Mullins drove in Tanner Moore to close the gap to 8-3.
BU loaded the bases in the seventh inning and Kerns scored on a wild pitch to make it an 8-4 game.
The Eagles responded with a run in the bottom half of the seventh scoring on a Bruin error.
The Bruins closed their deficit down to four, 9-5, when Beau Dahmen registered a pinch hit two-out RBI single to right field that scored Ryan Knutz in the eighth.
ERAU scored their 10th run of the game in the eighth on a single by Lemon.
After the Bruins loaded the bases in the ninth, Knutz was hit by a pitch that allowed Moore to score before Eagles' reliever Ronnie Lozada struck out Kerns to end the game.
Kody McFarland (0-1) took the loss for the Bruins, allowing seven runs on four hits with six walks and five strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work. Only two of McFarland's runs were earned.
Jon Rapose earned the win for ERAU and improved to 1-0 on the season.
