Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 COSTA MESA, CALIF. – The Embry-Riddle baseball team fought hard in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, but fell in both games to 13th-ranked Vanguard. A ninth-inning rally fell a run short in game one, and a sluggish start to game two doomed the Eagles to wrap up the road trip.
#13 Vanguard 6, Embry-Riddle 5
The morning did not get off to an ideal start, as the Lions scored at least one run in every inning. After the end of the third, Vanguard had a 6-0 lead, but would not score again after that point.
The Eagles began chipping away at the lead in the fourth, getting the two runs they gave up the half-inning earlier. Carson Ramocinski doubled home Travis Strickler, then was singled home by Luke Jepsen.
Ramocinski scored again in the sixth inning to cut the lead to three, turning his leadoff single into a run thanks to another single by Jepsen. While the Eagles got traffic on the bases in the seventh and eighth innings, the top of the ninth is where they started to dig into the deficit more.
Calvin Solie reached on an error to start the inning, and scored later in the inning on a balk. Then Ramocinski singled home Strickler, but the tying run was left on first to end the game.
Ramocinski and Jepsen each had three hits, and were responsible for all eight Eagle RBI. Grant Ikeda had a great outing from the bullpen, going 2.1 innings giving up one hit and one walk.
#13 Vanguard 7, Embry-Riddle 2
The Lions got out to another quick start, as they scored five runs in the first two innings. Eventually they stretched the lead to 7-0, but the Eagles did not have as much time as in the first game.
The second game on Saturday was only seven innings, and ERAU began its scoring in the sixth. Owen Cain hit a leadoff home run in the sixth, then the Eagles struck again in the seventh with a sac fly from Roberto Garza-Nunez.
Travis Strickler had a two-hit game, going 2-for-2, walking once, and getting hit by a pitch. Aiden Vestbe and Zach Sharp each had a solid inning, giving up just two hits and striking out three combined.
The Eagles will get the next weekend off before they start Cal Pac play the first weekend of March. The first ever conference game for Embry-Riddle will be March 4th when they travel back to Southern California for a matchup with Westcliff.
