NORFOLK, Va. – Wellington Balsley went 3-for-5 and
William Jackson did not allow an earned run, but Coppin State's baseball team dropped its series opener at Norfolk State, 5-3, on Friday afternoon at Marty Miller Field. The Eagles now stand at 3-9 in the MEAC while the Spartans improve to 8-5 in league play.
Balsley continued his hot hitting this season as he now leads the league with a .419 clip. A sophomore from Vacaville, Calif, Balsley also had a double, scored a run and stole two bases on the day.
Jordan Hamberg also had a pair of hits as CSU outhit Norfolk State, 10-6.
Making his fifth start of the season on the mound, Jackson allowed just four hits and walked three while striking out three hit 6.1 innings of work. All three of his runs, all of which came in the second inning, were unearned.
Coppin got out to a 1-0 lead in the second as
Grant Williams scored on a wild pitch after he reached on a two-out walk and advancing to third on
Devyan Dyal's single to center field.
Norfolk took its first lead of the game with three runs in the bottom half of the frame, in large part due to a pair of CSU throwing errors and a passed ball.
The score remained, 3-1, in favor of the hosts until Coppin tied the score with a pair of runs in the seventh. Dyal reached on an error to start the inning and got to third on Balsley's double down the third base line.
Darren Hagan drove in Dyal with an RBI single up the middle and Balsley later scored as he and Hagan converted on a successful double steal.
NSU was able to get through the inning without further damage and scored a pair of runs in the eighth off
Rashad Ruff to go back on top, 5-3. Balsley helped Coppin threaten in the ninth with a two-out single but was left stranded with the tying run at the plate.
The same two teams will play a doubleheader at 12 pm on Saturday, April 17 at Norfolk's Marty Miller Field. Sunday's series finale is also scheduled to start at 12 pm.
