Nelson Baseball has Wings Clipped in Loss to Eagles

The Nelson Warriors' baseball team (1-2) suffered a tough road setback, falling 11-4 to the Embry-Riddle Eagles in a game that slipped away quickly after an early lead.

The Warriors struck first in the top of the third inning when Ethan Gustafson ripped a double to plate Sam Hess and Gerardo Paco, giving Nelson an early 2-0 advantage. Unfortunately, the Eagles responded with a punishing barrage, scoring 11 unanswered runs to seize control.

Embry-Riddle plated one in the bottom of the fourth before exploding for five in the fifth. The decisive blow came in the sixth, when the Eagles tacked on three more to blow the game open, then added a final run in the seventh for good measure.

Nelson showed fight late, with Gustafson singling in Paco in the eighth to make it 11-3, and Josue Wright Jr. scoring on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the ninth to account for the final tally. The Warriors managed to put 13 runners on base on 8 hits and 5 walks, but timely hitting eluded them against a stingy Eagles pitching staff and opportunistic defense.

On the mound, Eli Arsenault made a solid season debut for Nelson, tossing four innings and allowing 5 hits and 5 runs (3 earned) while walking 2 and striking out 2. The bullpen struggled to contain the damage as the Eagles capitalized on mistakes and momentum.

The Warriors will have a little time to button down some of the issues that have plagued them in the last two games before taking on the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at home (at Cortez High School) at 6:30pm on Wednesday, January 28, the start of a five-game homestand.

Do not forget to follow Nelson Athletics on X at @NelsonWarriors and Instagram at @nelsonwarriors.athletics.