NORFOLK, Va. – Jordan Hamberg recorded four base hits and tossed five innings on the mound, but Coppin State's baseball team fell in its series finale at Norfolk State, 9-3, on Sunday afternoon at Marty Miller Field. The Eagles now stand at 3-12 in the MEAC while the Spartans improve to 11-5 in league play.
A freshman from South Plainfield, N.J., Hamberg accounted for half of Coppin's hits as he went 4-for-4 with two runs, a double and a triple. Hamberg pitched well but took the loss as he allowed just three runs on six hits while striking out four in 5.0 innings of work.
Hamberg was followed up on the hill by
Matt Perkins,
Giovanni Canales and
Nico Felber who gave up just three earned runs in the final 3.0 innings as Felber tossed a scoreless eighth.
Wellington Balsley,
Conner Walker,
Brandon Watkins and
Mario Cuevas also had base hits for Coppin while Balsley reached twice on the day as he was hit by a pitch.
Matt Day was credited with a pair of RBI.
Norfolk scored first with a run in its half of the opening inning, but Coppin tied it up in the second as Hamberg led off the frame with a triple before scoring on Day's sacrifice fly.
Hamberg struck out a pair in the second and got a 1-2-3 third inning before the Spartans scored a pair in the fifth to take a 3-1 lead.
The Spartans added two more in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to extend the lead to 9-3.
Coppin plated a pair in the ninth with hits by Watkins and Hamberg and another RBI by Day with no outs but NSU retired the next three batters to end the threat.
The Eagles are set to play at Navy on Wednesday, April 21 at 3 pm before hosting North Carolina A&T for a four-game series on April 23-25.
