Tritons Take Two From No. 14 Embry-Riddle on Saturday, Sweep Series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - In the span of three games, the Eckerd baseball team knocked the top team in the Sunshine State Conference off its perch and claimed the spot for its own instead.

After an 18-3 win in Friday's series opener, the Tritons swept the day and the series from No. 14 Embry-Riddle on Saturday with wins of 7-6 and 17-6 at Sliwa Stadium.

An Eagle rally in the eighth inning of the day's first game gave the hosts a 6-4 lead, Sam Cochrane blasted a three-run homerun in the top of the ninth to put Eckerd back on top and Chase Achuff closed the door in the bottom of the inning to pick up his fourth save of the year.

In the finale, there was no need for a last-inning rally though the Tritons certainly blew the game open in the eighth and ninth inning with eight runs total in the last two frames.

The win moved Eckerd into a tie for first place in the SSC alongside Tampa with matching 13-8 SSC marks.

HOW IT ENDED
Game 1
Final: Eckerd 7, #14 Embry-Riddle 6
WP: Salisbury (2-0)  LP: Jeancola (1-3)  Sv: Achuff (4)  HR: Cochrane (2), Guttveg (2), Habig (1), Howard (8), Sidwell (2)

Game 2
Final: Eckerd 17, #14 Embry-Riddle 6
WP: Lanzilli (4-2)  LP: Goodall (6-1)  HR: Cochrane (3), Howard (9)
Records: Eckerd 24-13 (13-8 SSC); Embry-Riddle 22-15 (11-7 SSC)

KEY MOMENTS
Game 1

• ERAU's Kyle Guttveg led off the home half of the first with a solo homerun, but Eckerd responded in the top of the second with four runs on RBI singles by Nick Arrivo, Justin Glover, and Nick Conti.
• The Eagles' Samuel Brunning came into the game and shut down the Triton bats for the next six innings. Robin Allen did the same over six innings, allowing just two runs, and Drew Martin pitched a scoreless seventh before Embry-Riddle claimed a 6-4 lead in the eighth on a three-run homer by Zach Howard and a solo shot by Kirk Sidwell.
• Facing ERAU's top reliever in Dominic Jeancola, the Tritons rallied in the top of the ninth. After back-to-back one-out singles by Garrett Hiott and Mitch Calandra, Cochrane launched a go-ahead three-run homer to centerfield.
• Achuff took the ball from Jarid Salisbury in the bottom of the inning. He gave up a leadoff infield single to Guttveg and an intentional pass to Kyle Marsh after a sacrifice bunt, then got Luis Olivier to ground into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.

Game 2

• Eckerd built a 7-0 lead after five innings behind a strong performance on the mound from Cameron Lanzilli. The Tritons scored in each inning but the second, highlighted by a two-run triple by Nick Arrivo in the fifth.
• The Eagles finally got on the board in the sixth on a sacrifice fly after the first two batters of the inning reached safely.
• Mitch Donofrio, Keith Leavitt, Jr., and Conti roped back-to-back-to-back doubles in the seventh to plate two more runs for a 9-1 lead. Those runs, at the time, came in handy as Embry-Riddle finally got to Lanzilli in the bottom of the inning, chasing him after scoring two runs on three hits. Salisbury entered in relief, and the Eagles plated three more runs in the inning before Salisbury got the final out.
• The Tritons quickly doubled their lead in the eighth thanks to a Donofrio RBI single and a two-run single by Leavitt, Jr.
• Eckerd scored five more times in the ninth, including a three-run homerun by Cochrane, as the team batted around.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• After a season-high 21 hits on Friday night, the Tritons surpassed that total with 23 hits in the finale.  In the series, Eckerd scored 42 runs and totaled 54 hits.
• Conti, Donofrio, and Leavitt, Jr., each had four hits in the final game.
• Every player in the starting lineup in both games tallied at least one hit.  Six players had multiple RBIs in the finale.
• The win moved Eckerd into a tie for first place in the SSC alongside Tampa at 13-8 in a crowded race where seven teams have winning conference records.

UP NEXT
Another big series awaits the Tritons as the team hosts Nova Southeastern for a three-game series beginning on Thursday at 6:00 PM.