PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Madison Didion struck out five batters in a 3-1 victory in game one of a double header at Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday, March 25
th at Hawks Field. The Eagles won game one but dropped game two 10-8.
Coppin State won their first MEAC game of the season scoring single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings holding on to a 3-1 road victory. The Eagles and Hawks both finished with six hits each. CSU's freshman
Haley Bravo and sophomore outfielder
Melanie Benge both finishing with two hits each. Sophomore infielder Meagan Narvaez had her first career triple as an Eagle and sophomore DH
Dakota Gartrell hammered in a career-best two RBIs.
Sophomore pitcher
Madison Didion (3-9) tossed her fourth complete game of the season striking out five batters. Didion gave up one earned run with no walks.
In the third inning, Benge led off with a double and then scored on an RBI single to center field by Gartrell. The Eagles next run came in the fourth inning on an RBI single to center field by Bravo. Finally, in the fifth inning Narvaez's triple to right center field allowed her to cross home plate on a sacrifice fly out to right field by Gartrell extending the Eagles lead to 3-0.
The Hawks scored one run on two hits in the bottom of the fifth but Coppin State's defense held on for the 3-1 conference win.
In game two, the Hawks scored a pair of late runs in the sixth inning to split the double header downing the Eagles 10-8. Coppin State finished with a season-high in hits (13), doubles (3) and total bases (19) in the setback to Maryland Eastern Shore. Sophomore infielder
Patricia Soria had a season-high four hits going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate. Narvaez finished with three hits, two RBIs and one score run while sophomore outfielder
Hatika James crushed a two run home run.
CSU went up 2-0 in the second inning before the Hawks came up with seven runs in the bottom of the inning. Narvaez RBI singled to right center field scoring James and junior infielder
Camille Ochoa.
The Eagles approached the third inning trailing the Hawks 7-2. James recorded her first home run of her career with a shot to left center field scoring three runs. Brown led off the inning singling to center field and then Soria singled to center field.
Maryland Eastern Shore scored a run in the fourth to stretch their lead to 8-5. In the fifth inning the Eagles tied it up with three hits that turned into three runs.
A pair of doubled by Narvaez and Gartrell followed by a single by Nowak highlighted the inning. Narvaez doubled to center field and then advanced to third with Ochoa reaching home. Gartrell's double to left center scored Narvaez and an RBI sacrifice fly out by Brown scored freshman
Kimberly Evans tying the game.
Defensively, Coppin State gave up two runs on four hits in the sixth inning and then could not find any offense in the seventh inning falling to the Hawks 10-8.
Pitcher
Dakota Gartrell (0-2) went 4.1 innings replacing starting pitcher
Madison Didion.
The teams will conclude the weekend series with a sinlge game at 12 p.m. on Sunday, March 26
th at Hawks Field.
