HANOVER, Md. – Coppin State's baseball team was unable to hold on to a lead as La Salle used a nine-run sixth inning to defeat the Eagles, 16-8 on Wednesday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium. The Eagles fall to 5-14 on the season while the Explorers move to 13-9.
Jordan Hamberg and
Sebastien Sarabia both had a pair of hits and combined for five walks while
Devyan Dyal also had a pair of hits to lead the Coppin offense.
Mike Dorcean drove in a pair of runs while Hamberg and
Wellington Balsley also scored twice.
After allowing a run in the first, Coppin took the lead in its opening at bat as
Toran Smith drove in Hamberg with an RBI single to center field. Dorcean was also hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to go up, 2-1.
La Salle got one of the runs back in the top of the second to tie the score before
Darren Hagan gave the Eagles back the lead with a sacrifice fly. A wild pitch also allowed Balsley to score, giving Coppin a 4-2 lead.
Once again, the Explorers were able to cut the deficit with a run in the third which Dyal matched with a RBI in the third. Sarabia drove in another in the fourth, extending Coppin's lead to 6-3 after four innings.
Tim Ruffino, who relieved starting pitcher
Luke Baker to start the third, struck out the side in the fourth and held the Explorers scoreless again in the fifth. Coppin went scoreless in the fifth which included a scary situation for La Salle which delayed play with one out.
La Salle used the long stoppage as inspiration as it scored nine runs on eight hits along with a pair of CSU errors to go up, 12-6. The Eagles used three pitchers in the inning as the Explorers sent 15 batters to the plate.
Dorcean and Javier drove in runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to, 12-8, but Coppin went scoreless in the final three innings despite loading the bases in the ninth.
Despite drawing 12 walks from eight different La Salle pitchers, Coppin also walked 11 batters and committed five errors on the day.
The Eagles return to action on April 9-11 when it hosts La Salle in a four-game MEAC series. Friday's game is slated for a 3 pm start, followed by a 12 pm doubleheader on Saturday. Sunday's game is scheduled for 12 pm.
