Embry-Riddle led from start to finish in the first game of the season as the Eagles beat Evangel 11-4 before a back and forth second game of the day also went the way of ERAU as the Eagles won 14-13 over Justice at Snedigar Park in Chandler on Friday.

Game 1
The first inning passed quietly, as many season openers do — a few routine outs, a lone baserunner, and two teams easing into the rhythm of competition. But when the second inning arrived, Embry-Riddle's bats lit up the ballpark.

It began innocently enough: a hit-by-pitch to Connor Rosinski. Then a sharp single from Ty Cramer. Then another from first baseman Carter Graham. Suddenly, the bases were loaded with nobody out, and the Eagles sensed an opportunity.

Jake Lokos seized it first. He jumped on a pitch and drove it into the right-field gap for a two-run double.

Just a few pitches later, Konner Nelson delivered the knockout blow of the inning — a three-run double to center, clearing the bases and blowing the game open. What had been a tense 0–0 start transformed into a commanding 5–0 lead in an instant.

And the Eagles still weren't finished.

After a sacrifice fly by Miles Murphy, James Warren punched a single up the middle to score Nelson. An error extended the inning, and Cramer delivered again with another RBI single. Rosinski crossed the plate on a passed ball, giving Embry-Riddle a stunning 8–0 advantage before Evangel could escape the frame.

While the offense erupted, Jesse Kaphing quietly set the tone on the mound. In his 2026 debut, the right-hander carved through Evangel's lineup with power and poise, striking out seven batters in 3.2 innings without issuing a walk. 

He scattered four hits, allowed just one run, and delivered exactly what a team needs with a big lead: steadiness.

From there, the bullpen became a showcase of Embry-Riddle's depth.

Spencer Lanz, Kyle Riley, Jacob Samsing, Sam Pritchard, and NoahTschopp combined to strike out nine more hitters, holding Evangel scoreless until a late ninth-inning push. All told, the Eagles' pitching staff racked up 16 strikeouts, making sure their offensive explosion never went to waste.

Game 2
The Eagles wasted no time jumping on the board in the top of the first. After Miles Murphy singled and advanced on a passed ball, James Warren reached on an error at first, bringing Murphy home to open the scoring. Moments later, Javier Izaguirre Jr. delivered the day's first big swing — a towering two-run homer that put Embry-Riddle up 3–0 before Justice College had recorded its second out.

After a quiet first inning defensively, the Eagles suddenly hit turbulence in the second. Justice College strung together a single, two walks, and a momentum-shifting two-RBI double by F. Tributini. That was followed by an RBI groundout and a two-run double from D. English — giving the Lions a sudden 5–3 lead.

Murphy singled again. Warren singled behind him. Izaguirre followed with a single of his own to load the bases. From there, the Eagles mounted a patient, relentless rally — a hit-by-pitch RBI, a walk to tie the game, and another walk from Aleksander Krupa to bring home the go-ahead run. In just a handful of batters, the Eagles reclaimed a 6–5 lead.

Justice would tie it — and eventually surge in front — but the Eagles never stopped answering.

In the top of the fifth, a spark came from Logan Hudson, who ripped a two-run double to center, closing the gap to one. Murphy followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 9–9. Moments later, Warren laced a two-RBI single that put Embry-Riddle back on top, 11–9, in what became one of the game's defining swings.

By the sixth inning, Embry-Riddle's offense had settled into a rhythm.

Another walk from Fernando Perez-Ortega and a chaotic sequence of errors allowed Ty Cramer and Perez-Ortega to score. Krupa then doubled home another, and Caden Truman added an RBI single to push the lead to 14–9 — the Eagles' largest margin of the day.

 The seventh inning belonged to reliever Braden Wilson, who stepped in and shut the door with composure, striking out two, allowing just one hit, and earning the save. Coupled with Caleb Braithwaite's earlier work — who earned the win — the Eagles' pitching staff found the resolve they needed at the perfect moment.

ERAU will return to Phoenix tomorrow where the Eagles will play two games at Arizona Christian against Justice at 11am and Nelson at 3pm.