Eagles Capture Series Against UMES with Split on Sunday
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. -- Coppin State scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning and then held off a Maryland Eastern Shore rally to post a 7-6 victory over the Hawks in game two to earn a split of a MEAC doubleheader on Sunday at Hawks Stadium. The victory clinched the Eagles first MEAC series win since the 2010 season.
Coppin State (5-12, 2-1 MEAC) broke a 3-3 deadlock by scoring four times in the top of the seventh inning of game two.
With one out, John Walls reached on an error to get the rally started. After a flyout, Walls stole second base. Alex Brown drew a walk and Chris Godfrey singled to score Walls giving Coppin State a 4-3 lead.
Jack Kraft walked to load the bases and Zach Hawk also walked forcing in Brown to increase the lead to 5-3.
Daniel McCrea, who was 3-for-3, singled to score Kraft and Godfrey upping the lead to 7-3.
UMES (4-15, 1-2 MEAC) rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Darryl Martinez was able to work out of a bases-loaded jam to earn the save.
Michael Roberts earned the win for Coppin State as he allowed no earned runs in 2.2 innings of relief.
The win gave the Eagles two victories in the series, which marked the Eagles first conference series win since winning three games against UMES during the 2010 season.
The Hawks won the opner 3-0 as Will Turley and Jesus Hernandez combined to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard despite allowing nine hits.
Shane Davies absorbed the loss despite allowing only four hits and one earned run in eight innings of work.
Chris Kashangaki and Kraft each had two hits for Coppin State in game one.
For the complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com or www.coppinstatesports.com
Eighth-Inning Push Sends Aggies Past Wildcats, 9-6
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The North Carolina A&T Aggies (7-12, 3-3 MEAC) stunned the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats with a three-run eighth inning, claiming the 9-6 victory and series win in the back-and-forth series finale.
Three errors proved to be a difference maker, allowing the Aggies to score five unearned runs and extend two scoring innings.
Freshman first baseman Jose Carballo put the Wildcats on the board in the top of the second, taking the first pitch yard to right with Eric Sams on base, logging a two-run homer, the first of his career.
The Aggies brought it back to even in the bottom of the fourth, using three consecutive singles to put up the first run, with the second coming on Luke Tendler’s sacrifice bunt, creating a 2-2 tie that would hold one frame.
N.C. A&T took the lead in the bottom of the fifth after a B-CU fielding error extended the inning, as Brandon Wilkerson took advantage of a bases loaded situation, putting a two-run double into the outer shade of right.
The Wildcats countered to reclaim the lead in the sixth, as David Lee reached base on balls, advanced on a sacrifice and came on home on Sams’ RBI double down the left field line. Sams came home to tie the game at four-all, as Carballo reached and advanced on N.C. A&T errors at first. He went on to score and push B-CU to a 5-4 advantage on Shaun McCarty’s RBI double through the left side.
The lead wouldn’t stand for long, with the tie run reaching on a throwing error, and coming home on Kelvin Freeman’s single up the middle, while Dairio Little’s single brought him home for the one-run advantage.
Again the Wildcats responded, with Sams leading off the eighth with a double to right, scoring later on a wild pitch to tie the score at 6-6. The Wildcats threatened to take the lead with bases loaded against N.C. A&T’s Kirby Whicker, but came away without the go-ahead run.
In the home side of the frame, the Aggies broke away for good, as a busted double play attempt extended the inning, allowed a run to score and and made room for RBI from Andre McKoy and Wilkerson, building the lead to three in favor of the Aggies.
Whicker (2-1) remained in the contest in the top of the ninth, inducing three B-CU flyouts for the 9-6 North Carolina A&T win, and B-CU’s third series loss of the year.
Byron Ferguson (1-2) takes the unfortunate loss, allowing the go-ahead run to reach on a single fired into his leg, leading him to exit the game after facing just two batters.
Despite the defensive miscues, the Wildcats continued to show a strong offensive approach at the plate, adding 14 runs to a weekend total of 41 for the series.
Sams led the Wildcats at the plate with 3-for-5 hitting, two runs scored and an RBI, while McCarty was 3-for-4 with an RBI.
For the complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com or www.ncataggies.com
3-Run 5th Helps Hornets Clip NSU 6-5 for Series Sweep
NORFOLK, Va. – Visiting Delaware State scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning to take the lead for good, and two Hornets’ relievers made that lead stand up in a 6-5 win over Norfolk State on Sunday at Marty L. Miller Field.
With the win, the Hornets (12-6, 3-0 MEAC) swept the MEAC Northern Division series from NSU (5-13, 0-3). The Spartans dropped their fourth in a row overall despite out-hitting DSU 11-8 and getting a season-high four runs batted in from first baseman Zach Markel.
DSU scored twice in the top of the first without benefit of a hit off Spartan starter Cooper Jones. J.P. Frey struck out to lead off the game, but reached first due to a wild pitch on the third strike. Cameron Cecil was next up and reached when NSU threw away his sacrifice bunt attempt. Both runners advanced a base on Aaron Nardone’s sacrifice bunt. Frey scored from third on a passed ball, and Cecil crossed the plate on Ryan Haas’ sacrifice fly.
The Hornets extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the third on Hassan Evans’ successful squeeze bunt, which scored Eddie Sorondo from third.
But NSU bounced back with five runs in its next two frames, thanks largely to the bat of Markel. The junior hit a bases-clearing, three-run double to tie the game in the bottom of the third off DSU starter Zach Adkins. In the fourth, Justin Lee knocked in a run with a fielder’s choice, then two batters later, Markel hit a two-out, RBI single to give NSU a 5-3 edge.
But the Hornets wasted no time in retaking the lead, plating three runs in the top of the fifth. Sorondo and Ryan Haas led off with back-to-back singles off Jones. With one out, the Spartans intentionally walked Evans to load the bases and set up a double play possibility. But Jones walked Cameron Onderko to force in one run, and D.J. Miller was hit by a pitch by NSU reliever Ray Morton to tie the game. Frey followed by scoring Evans with an RBI groundout to give the Hornets a 6-5 advantage.
That’s the way the score remained as both bullpens shut down the opposing offenses from the bottom of the fifth inning on. NSU had a runner reach scoring position every inning from the fifth to the eighth, but couldn’t get the tying run home against DSU relievers Zach Candeloro and Bobby Brown. Candeloro (2-0) pitched 4.2 innings of scoreless relief to get the win, while Brown pitched the final 1.1 innings for his first save of the season. Brown came on with the potential tying run, NSU pinch runner Andre Moore, on third base with two outs. Brown got Chase Kyriacou to line out to first base to end the eighth, then worked around a one-out walk to Tyon Ore in the ninth to finish off the Spartans.
Markel finished 3-for-5 with four RBI for NSU. It was his fourth three-hit game of the season. Kyriacou and Robert Reaume were both 2-for-4 with a run scored, and Cameron Day went 2-for-5 with a double.
Frey and Miller had two hits apiece for the Hornets, who won despite stranding 15 runners.
Jones (0-2) took the loss for NSU, allowing six hits and six runs, four earned, in 4.1 innings. He walked five and fanned four. Relievers Morton, Ryan Shook and Justin Bhatti combined to allow two hits and no runs over the final 4.2 innings.
For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.dsuhornets.com
Eighth-Inning Push Sends Aggies Past Wildcats, 9-6
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The North Carolina A&T Aggies (7-12, 3-3 MEAC) stunned the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats with a three-run eighth inning, claiming the 9-6 victory and series win in the back-and-forth series finale.
Three errors proved to be a difference maker, allowing the Aggies to score five unearned runs and extend two scoring innings.
Freshman first baseman Jose Carballo put the Wildcats on the board in the top of the second, taking the first pitch yard to right with Eric Sams on base, logging a two-run homer, the first of his career.
The Aggies brought it back to even in the bottom of the fourth, using three consecutive singles to put up the first run, with the second coming on Luke Tendler’s sacrifice bunt, creating a 2-2 tie that would hold one frame.
N.C. A&T took the lead in the bottom of the fifth after a B-CU fielding error extended the inning, as Brandon Wilkerson took advantage of a bases loaded situation, putting a two-run double into the outer shade of right.
The Wildcats countered to reclaim the lead in the sixth, as David Lee reached base on balls, advanced on a sacrifice and came on home on Sams’ RBI double down the left field line. Sams came home to tie the game at four-all, as Carballo reached and advanced on N.C. A&T errors at first. He went on to score and push B-CU to a 5-4 advantage on Shaun McCarty’s RBI double through the left side.
The lead wouldn’t stand for long, with the tie run reaching on a throwing error, and coming home on Kelvin Freeman’s single up the middle, while Dairio Little’s single brought him home for the one-run advantage.
Again the Wildcats responded, with Sams leading off the eighth with a double to right, scoring later on a wild pitch to tie the score at 6-6. The Wildcats threatened to take the lead with bases loaded against N.C. A&T’s Kirby Whicker, but came away without the go-ahead run.
In the home side of the frame, the Aggies broke away for good, as a busted double play attempt extended the inning, allowed a run to score and and made room for RBI from Andre McKoy and Wilkerson, building the lead to three in favor of the Aggies.
Whicker (2-1) remained in the contest in the top of the ninth, inducing three B-CU flyouts for the 9-6 North Carolina A&T win, and B-CU’s third series loss of the year.
Byron Ferguson (1-2) takes the unfortunate loss, allowing the go-ahead run to reach on a single fired into his leg, leading him to exit the game after facing just two batters.
Sams led the Wildcats at the plate with 3-for-5 hitting, two runs scored and an RBI, while McCarty was 3-for-4 with an RBI.
For the complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com or www.ncataggies.com