GLEN BURNIE, Md. – Coppin State's baseball team dropped a pair of close games to Fordham University on Saturday afternoon at Bachman Sports Complex. The Rams (8-4-1) took the opener, 10-8, and the nightcap, 4-1.
Derek Lohr had a three-hit game in the opener as every Eagles started had at least a hit or an RBI.
Caleb Duhay homered and double while driving in two while
Erik Crossman also drove in a pair.
Fordham got ahead 1-0 off starting pitcher
Branden Redfern, but in what became a theme throughout the game, Coppin was able to tie the score but not get over the hump to take the lead.
Andres Santana drew a leadoff walk to start the bottom half of the frame and advanced to third as Duhay reached on an error. With one out,
Nazier McIlwain drove in Santana with a sacrifice fly.
The Rams got the run back in the second and added four more in the third to end Redfern's day. Coppin was able to cut into Fordham's lead in the bottom half as Duhay led off with a home run and
Drew Thomas added an RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-3.
Aaron Rea took over for Redfern and thanks to him and some solid offense, the Eagles were able to get Redfern off the hook. Crossman drove in a pair of runs with a two-out double in the fifth to score Thomas and
Brett Helmbrecht before an RBI single by Santana tied the score.
Fordham was able to get back on top with a run in the sixth which Coppin answered in its half with a RBI single by Lohr.
Rea got two outs in the seventh before three-straight hits gave Fordham a 9-7 lead and the Rams added another with
Quinn Gleed on the mound before Duhay doubled in Santana in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 10-8.
Gleed retired the last seven batters he faced but Coppin was unable to capitalize and took the loss.
In the nightcap,
Jahmon Taylor went toe-to-toe with Fordham flamethrower Reiss Knehr. After striking out three of the first eight Rams, Fordham got on the board in the second with a run.
Taylor fanned two more in the third and all three Rams in the third before Fordham tacked on three runs in the fifth to end his day. Taylor took the loss but struck out nine in just 4.2 innings of work.
Coppin was able to get one run off Knehr in the sixth as Santana drew a walk, stole second and on the same play scored on a throwing error by the catcher and the centerfielder who tried to nail Santana at third.
Knehr, who was touching the 90s the entire game, allowed just one hit and struck out nine while walking four.
The Eagles (1-9-1) are scheduled to be home on Tuesday, March 13 when they take on New Jersey Institute of Technology at 3 pm.
