Box Score SALISBURY – Senior outfielder
Darien Percell finished with six RBIs, on three hits, and two runs scored as the Eagles escape elimination in the 2016 MEAC Baseball Championships with a 15-4 victory over Delaware State on Thursday, May 19
th. Coppin State had 14 hits leading to 12 RBIs while defensively holding the hornets to only six hits.
Five Eagles recorded multiple hits with junior infielder
Bryant Miranda along with freshmen
John O'Dwyer,
Malik White and
Erik Crossman all with two hits each. Miranda registered four runs sparking Coppin State's offense along with Percell. CSU's starting pitcher
Krystian Negron (5-4) tossed 5.1 innings striking out six batters and surrendering only one earned run in the win.
Coppin State got off to a quick start in the top of the first inning after a pair of hits.
Darien Percell blasted a two-RBI single through the right side scoring Miranda and freshman infielder Nazier McIlwain. Miranda got on by singling to third base after McIlwain drew a walk. The Hornets responded with an RBI triple to right field cutting the CSU lead to 2-1 after the first inning.
The Hornets took a 4-2 advantage in the second inning with one hit, one walk, and three batters that were hit by pitches. In a back and forth game between the Hornets and Eagles, CSU tacked on another two runs in the third inning on Percell's first home run of the season (4-4).
A huge fourth inning for the Eagles took the momentum away from Delaware State in the elimination game. Coppin State drew five walks, forced an error and was hit by a pitch coming away with seven runs (11-4). Percell came up with two additional RBIs with both Miranda and McIlwain scoring runs. Two batters later, catcher
Malik White singled for two RBIs with Percell and
John O'Dwyer also scoring.
Runs continued for Coppin State in the fifth and sixth innings.
George Dragon had the Eagles only hit of the fifth inning with an RBI single to left field as Miranda crossed home plate for the fourth time. Three hits in the next inning gave CSU a 13-4 cushion.
Erik Crossman led the inning off singling through the right side and then
Colin Dower was next also singling. McIlwain drove in Crossman with a single to right field giving CSU a 14-4 lead. In the seventh inning, Dower slammed a triple to right field allowing J. O'Dwyer to score the final run of the night.
Coppin State moves on to Friday and will play at 7 p.m. in the 2016 MEAC Baseball Championships.
