Box Score In their first Cal Pac game of the 2024 season, Embry-Riddle came out swinging as they Eagles downed the Pioneers 15-5 in just seven innings on Friday afternoon in Lancaster.
ERAU started off strong right away in the first inning. Travis Strickler (Glendale, Ariz.) started the game by reaching first on an error and then stealing second and third base. He scored on a Drew Barragan (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) single. Barragan advanced to second on a wild pitch and proceeded to steal third base. Barragan scored on a wild pitch a few pitches later to make the score 2-0. Roberto Garza-Nunez (Salinas, Calif.) and Owen Cain (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) both walked. A double by Blake Moore brought in both Garza-Nunez and Cain to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead after the top of the first inning.
Eagle pitcher Cole Altherr (Tucson, Ariz.) sat down the Pioneers in order in the bottom of the first inning as he struck two of the first three batters out.
ERAU added to their lead in the bottom of the second. Miles Murphy (Goodyear, Ariz.) was hit by a pitch to begin the inning and Strickler and Javier Izaguirre Jr. (Riverside, Calif.) each followed with a single. Murphy was able to score on a fielder's choice and after the top of the second Embry-Riddle held a 5-0 advantage.
Antelope Valley got three runs back in the bottom of the second on two hits.
Cain started the top of the third with a single followed by a Calvin Solie (Buckeye, Ariz.) single to put runners on first and second. Strickler then came up with his second hit of the day, this time a triple and was able to score on the throw to add three more runs to the Eagle score.
After UAV scored two more runs in the bottom of the third inning, the Eagles scored four more runs in the top of the 4th inning. Barragan and Luke Jepsen (Temecula, Calif.) each had a single to start the inning and then Cain hit a three run homerun to make the score 11-5. Solie had another hit that brought in Moore to finish out the inning at 12-5.
The last three ERAU runs were scored in the top of the 5th inning and Embry-Riddle went on to rule run Antelope Valley 15-5 in seven innings.
Cain went 2-2 for the Eagles and Barragan was 4-5. Altherr pitched a solid six innings giving up just four hits and striking out 11 batters.
ERAU and UAV will play a double header tomorrow to finish off the series with the first pitch at 11am MST.
