HANOVER, Md. – Jack Kraft erased an evening of frustration with one sweet-singing swing.
The lefthander got a pitch he liked. Kraft then demolished it by smashing it over the rightfield fence in the bottom of the sixth inning. Kraft's team-leading third homer proved to be the difference in a thrilling 5-4 victory over rival Delaware State in a fiery Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) doubleheader at Joe Cannon Stadium that stretched a little over six hours Saturday night.
The Hornets (7-21 overall, 6-8 MEAC) won the opener, 11-5, but thanks to Kraft's timely blast and the dynamite relief pitching of
Chris Estrada, Coppin State (3-24-1, 2-12) has an opportunity to win a series from Delaware State. The Eagles remained four games behind the Hornets. Both teams have 10 conference games left, including four head-to-head battles.
"This win was awesome because it keeps us in the MEAC race," Kraft said. "I was looking for a ball to drive in my last at-bat. I saw my pitch inside and I just turned on it. I got lucky and just want to give the glory to God. I knew I owed us big time because I had been struggling and leaving runners on. Not that this makes up for it, but it lightens my burden."
As Kraft's tie-breaking shot cleared the fence, he zoomed around the bases with Usain Bolt-like speed. Not normally one to show emotion, Kraft raised his right hand in the air between first and second base. He was pumped as was the entire CSU dugout, which sprinted out to greet Kraft as he touched home plate. Prior to his homer, Kraft had been 0-for-7 in the two games, hence the celebration and huge smile following the game.
In short, Coppin State refused to lose even when Delaware State rallied from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Estrada, a hurler with the tenacity of pit-bull, escaped further damage by striking out the Hornets best hitter Chris Gonzales with the bases loaded.
Kraft's blast and the menacing sounds of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" gave Estrada all the juice he needed to strike out two of the three Delaware State hitters during a perfect seventh inning to earn his first victory at Coppin State. His pitches had some serious gas as they made a whistling, tea-kettle sound while whizzing past Delaware State batters and landing in catcher Alex Brown's glove.
"That one run was everything for me," Estrada said. "It helped me relax and I was able to go right at their lineup. I love the clutch moments. Our team battled back tonight and we really needed this win. We've been fighting all year and tonight it was nice to see our hard work pay off. Now, we want to build off of this victory and keep going."
While Kraft and Estrada ultimately finished off Coppin State's first win over the Hornets this season, everybody contributed to this victory. Coppin State's defense was flawless.
Starting pitcher
Anderson Burgess was strong again as he went 5.2 innings and recorded seven strikeouts. He has 20 strikeouts and a 3.00 earned run average over his last three starts. Furthermore, opponents are hitting .221 against him.
Sophomore third baseman
Bryant Miranda drove in a pair of runs with a ringing double in the first inning and a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Junior
Darien Percell had two hits, including a double, for his fifth multi-hit game of the season. Senior
Jeffrey Fitch added a sacrifice fly. Brown was strong behind the plate, throwing out a runner trying to steal third base. Junior shortshop
Colin Dower, who shined with his glove, delivered his team-leading third three-hit game of the season.
In the opening game, the Eagles couldn't overcome an early deficit despite getting two hits each from Miranda and Fitch. Freshman pitcher
Jesse Kraft had a pair of perfect innings on the mound.
Coppin State and Delaware State conclude the weekend series Sunday beginning at 12:00 p.m.
