BALTIMORE: A pair of Lady Eagles homered in Coppin State's doubleheader agaisnt Hampton University on Satruday, April 23 at the CSU Softball Complex in Baltimore, MD.
CSU dropped game one, 11-7 and fell in extra innings in game two, 10-9.
Danielle Smith homered twice for her second and third home runs of the season.
Alisha Esqueda also slammed her team-high fourth home run of the year during the doubleheader.
Hampton came up with an early run in the first inning of action against the Lady Eagles. The Pirates doubled to right field for an RBI that was the only hit of the inning. Coppin State's senior catcher
Shelby Mendoza recorded the Lady Eagles first hit of the double header with a single to left field in the bottom of the second inning.
Coppin State fell behind 4-0 after the Pirates homered to center field in the third inning for three runs. Hampton came away with three hits in that inning but the Lady Eagles came back with an answer in the bottom portion of the third.
Senior infielder
Danielle Smith crushed her second home run of the season with a blast to right field for the Lady Eagles first score of the afternoon.
The Lady Pirates scored four runs on five hits in the top of the fourth inning taking an 8-1 advantage.
CSU added three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Freshman outfielder
Alisha Esqueda led off the inning with a single to second base and freshman infielder
Cayla Brown, who subbed in as a pinch hitter, followed with a double to center field.
Then Mendoza knocked an RBI single to right field, scoring Esqueda.
Senior infielder
Lauren Rogers added more runs for the Lady Eagles with a two run RBI single to center field, bringing home Brown and Esqueda as Coppin State closed the inning down 8-4.
In the bottom of the fifth, Esqueda slammed her team-leading fourth home run with a solo shot over the left field fence closing Hampton's lead to 8-5.
Hampton scored three runs on four hits in the top of the sixth inning taking an 11-5 lead.
After Rogers led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk, Smith hit a homer to left field for her second deep shot of the game with Coppin State now trailing, 11-7.
Freshman pitcher
Megan Narvaez singled to left field to end the game for the Lady Eagles as Hampton claimed an 11-7 victory in game one.
CSU pitcher Narveaz led the Lady Eagles tossing 5.0 innings and fanning two batters.
In the final game of the doubleheader,
Danielle Smith led off with a triple to right field for the Lady Eagles first hit of the game. Hampton carried a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the first after four hits turned into three early runs.
Smith scored Coppin State's first run of the game on a sacrifice fly out to left field by
Megan Narvaez cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Cayla Brown followed with a single to left field for their second hit of the inning.
CSU's starting pitcher Dakota Gartrell got through the second inning only giving up two hits to the Pirates. The Lady Eagles battled back with a pair of timely runs in the bottom of the second inning.
Alanna Williams led off singling up the middle and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gartrell. The Lady Eagles first run of the inning came on an RBI single to left field by senior infielder
Kimberlynn Brown. Brown brought in Williams making the contest 3-2. The next batter drew a walk bringing up Smith with two runners on.
Smith tied the ballgame at 3-3 with a single down the right field line scoring Brown from second base. Both teams registered a hit apiece in the third inning with the score remaining tied. The Pirates broke the tie with three hits leading to two runs in the fourth inning. Relief pitcher
Melanie Benge took over the mound midway through the fourth inning replacing Gartrell.
Trailing 5-3 heading into the fourth inning, Coppin State hammered out three hits by Mendoza, Rogers, and Smith.
Shelby Mendoza led off with a single through the right side for her first hit of the game.
Lauren Rogers also had her first hit of the game with a shot down the right field line and then Smith recorded her third hit singling to left field.
Coppin State lowered the deficit with one run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Benge led off with a walk and then advanced to second on a wild pitch by the Pirates. Mendoza approached the plate and ripped a double to left field sending Benge home (5-4).
The Lady Eagles got through the top of the seventh inning and set things up for an exciting bottom portion. Coppin came up with three hits sending the game into extra innings tied at 5-5. Esqueda drove in the game tying run with a single to right field scoring Smith for her second run of the game.
In the extra inning, Hampton took a 10-5 lead with five hits in the top of the ninth inning. With their backs against the wall, Coppin State rallied back to answer the Hampton run.
Danielle Smith was walked to lead off the inning and junior infielder
Taylor Haller followed with a single to right center advancing Smith.
Then
Alisha Esqueda knocked an RBI single to third base, bringing home Smith for the Lady Eagles first run of the inning.
Alanna Williams was walked in the next at bat loading the bases for CSU.
Haller would score Coppin's second run on a wild pitch bringing the score to 10-7 in favor of Hampton.
In the next at bat senior catcher
Shelby Mendoza brought in two runs, scoring Esqueda and Williams, pulling Coppin to within one run.
But the Lady Eagles comeback would fall short as Hampton took game two 10-9.
Melanie Benge led Coppin State tossing 5.1 innings and striking out five Lady Pirate batters.
Coppin State will finish its Senior Day series against Hampton with a single game on Sunday, April 24 at noon at the CSU Softball Complex. CSU will be honoring its six seniors before the game.
