CATONSVILLE, Md. – Coppin State's softball team got great pitching from
Jaylene Sierra and
Lily Carter and a pair of RBI from both
Haley Bravo and
Alexis Genovese in a 6-2 victory in game one of a doubleheader at UMBC on Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles' victory in the opener was their first of the season and the first for head coach
Ashley Cook who is in her first season at the helm of the CSU softball program.
The Eagles (1-6) fell to the Retrievers (4-7) in the nightcap, 10-2.
Inside the Numbers (Game 1)
- Haley Bravo went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI while Cloe' Ochoa also had a couple of hits with a run scored and an RBI.
- Alexis Genovese connected on a two-run home run, the first of her career.
- Brissa Alvarado reached safely three times with a base hit and a pair of walks and Soraya Valdez-Frick also recorded an RBI single, a run and a walk.
- While also collecting a base hit, Jaylene Sierra allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out four in 4.1 innings of work. Lily Carter gave up just one hit and struck out one in 2.2 innings of relief.
- The win was Coppin's first over UMBC since the 2013 season, breaking a streak of eight-straight losses.
How it Happened (Game 1)
- Coppin started out hot, scoring three runs on four hits in the first inning. Cloe' Ochoa got the hitting started with a one-out double and got to third on a single by Sydney Dombrowski. Ochoa scored the first run on a single by Soraya Valdez-Frick before a two-run double by Haley Bravo to make it a 3-0 score.
- Jaylene Sierra got the start in the circle and threw a scoreless first, but after Coppin left two stranded in the second, UMBC cut the deficit to 3-2 with a pair of runs on three hits.
- CSU got both of those runs in its next at bat as Alexis Genovese slugged a two-run home run to left field. Scoring on the roundtripper was Melanie Aguilera who singled just prior.
- Sierra stranded one Retriever in the third and got some extra insurance in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Ochoa. She managed to get one out in the fourth before being replaced in the circle by Lily Carter who retired both batters she faced, including one strikeout.
- Both teams went scoreless in the fifth and sixth before Sierra returned to the rubber in the seventh and got a 1-2-3 inning to give the Eagles their first win of the season.
Inside the Numbers (Game 2)
How it Happened
- UMBC hit a pair of homers in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead but Coppin fought back with a pair of runs in third to cut the deficit to 3-2. Alvarado got the rally started with a two-out double before Cloe' Ochoa drew a walk. A fielding error allowed Sydney Dombrowski to reach which also scored Alvarado and Ochoa scored on an RBI single to center by Soraya Valdez-Frick.
- Alvarado tossed a 1-2-3 third inning but gave up a run in the fourth as the Retrievers took a 4-2 lead.
- The Eagles threatened in the fifth as Ochoa doubled down the left field line but was thrown out at third trying to stretch it into a triple. After a walk, UMBC retired the side before scoring six runs in its half to get the win.
Up Next: Coppin returns to the Diamond on Wednesday, January 11 when it hosts Saint Peter's in a 1 pm doubleheader.
