DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle Eagles' baseball team moved one step closer to an Avista-NAIA World Series appearance with a 4-3 win over the third-seeded Rio Grande Red Storm on Wednesday during the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round at Sliwa Stadium. ERAU improved to 43-16 overall while Rio fell to 48-12. Embry-Riddle head coach Randy Stegall also won his 200th career game with the victory.
The Red Storm appeared to be in control of things early on, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning off of The Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year Austin Quinn, two of those runs stemming from an error made by the Eagle infield.
The Eagles quickly answered in the bottom of the first off a Branden Roper-Hubbert two-out bomb over the left field fence to score two Eagle runs after freshman Tyler Robbins singled to right center.
ERAU would tie the game in the third inning when Robbins singled home Mike Jutkiewicz after the senior outfielder reached on a throwing error by the Rio second baseman.
The Blue and Gold wouldn't wait long to grab their first and last lead of the contest in the home half of the fourth inning when Aaron Glaum hit a sacrifice fly to left center to bring home Roper-Hubbert and give the Eagles the 4-3 lead.
The game turned into a pitcher's duel after the fourth inning, neither pitcher giving up a run the rest of the way. Ryan Robertson threw the entire 8.0 innings for Rio, allowing four runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts.
Phillip Reamy earned his 10th save of the season when he recorded the last four outs of the ball game, striking out one Red Storm batter in keeping his ERA at a perfect 0.00.
Quinn improved to 11-2 overall, pitching 7.2 innings, giving up three runs, one earned off six hits with two strikeouts.
Roper-Hubbert was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, including the go-ahead run in the fourth frame. Robbins finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run, while Glaum went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
The Eagles will await the winner of the Rio Grande/St. Thomas game on Thursday at 2 p.m. The Eagles and that winner will do battle at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.
Stegall won his 200th game as a head coach, 131 of them coming at Embry-Riddle. Stegall is 200-93-1 (.682) in five years as a collegiate head coach.