HANOVER, Md. – The Coppin State baseball team started strong during a 6-3 setback to Delaware State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) baseball game at Joe Cannon Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The loss didn't necessary terminate the Eagles chances of qualifying for the MEAC playoffs, but it hurt like a Mike Tyson uppercut. Coppin State's road just became a bit more daunting. The math still says Coppin State (3-25-1 overall, 2-13 MEAC) has a chance as it trails Delaware State (8-21, 7-8) by five games with nine conference contests remaining. Not impossible. Just not ideal.
However, Coppin State and Delaware State have only three head-to-head meetings remaining.
That means Coppin State must find a way to cool off red-hot Norfolk State beginning next weekend if it wants to join the MEAC's postseason party. Coppin State is 1-8 against Norfolk State since the start of last season. Six of Coppin State's final nine games are against Norfolk State, winners of nine straight.
Things started out great for Coppin State as it rode the momentum of Saturday night's dramatic victory to a fast beginning.
Swinging aggressively on the first pitch they saw,
Colin Dower and Jack Kraft immediately staked the Eagles to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Dower singled and scored on Kraft's ringing double to leftfield. Two batters. Two pitches. Early CSU lead.
Things got better for Coppin State as it scored twice in the second inning on a
William Brown RBI single and an
Alejandro Hernandez double. Coppin State was ahead 3-0 and had opportunities to extend the lead but it left two runners on in scoring position.
It seemed like it wouldn't matter as the Eagles were cruising. They opened the third inning by placing their first two runners on base with no outs following
Darien Percell's single, Coppin's sixth and what turned out to be its last hit of the game.
Unfortunately, the Eagles didn't score and that allowed the Hornets to gain control.
The big blow of the game was delivered by Delaware State's leadoff hitter Cameron Dailey, who delivered a one-out bases loaded double that gave the Hornets the lead for good, 4-3, in the fourth inning.
Coppin State's pitching tandem of
Jhar Devilme and
Myles Taylor combined for eight strikeouts.
The Eagles hit the road for a pair of mid-week non-conference games beginning with a game against Towson on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
