GREENSBORO, N.C. – Coppin State's baseball team got out to a 5-1 lead after three innings but was unable to hold on as North Carolina A&T rallied to win 6-5 on Thursday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium. The Eagles now stand at 7-17 in the MEAC while the Aggies move to 14-15 in league play.
Starting pitcher
Aaron Rea received a three-run cushion before he took the mound as Coppin scored three runs in its opening at bat. After
Wellington Balsley and
Darren Hagan started the game with back-to-back singles,
Conner Walker singled home Balsley with a shot up the middle.
Toran Smith drew a walk to load the bases and
Eddie Javier, Jr., followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Hagan.
Mike Dorcean's single to left center plated Walker, giving the Eagles a 3-0 lead.
Rea got a 1-2-3 first inning before giving up a run in the second, but the Eagles got that run back and added another with two runs in the third. Smith got it started with a two-out single, and following another single by Javier, Dorcean and
Devyan Dyal drove in runs with back-to-back singles before the Aggies were able to retire the side.
North Carolina A&T cut the deficit to 5-3 with a pair of runs in the fourth, but Rea escaped further damage with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
Making his final collegiate start, Rea retired the Aggies in order in both the fifth and sixth innings and got a pair of outs in the seventh before relieved by
Rashad Ruff. Ruff forced a groundout to end the seventh but gave up a pair of the eighth, and was credited with what was the game-winning run in the ninth with
Giovanni Canales on the hill.
Rea got the no-decision, allowing just three runs on five hits while striking out six batters in 6.2 innings.
Dorcean led the Coppin offense by going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI as Hagan, Walker, Smith and Dyal all reached safely twice with singles and a walk.
Coppin will play a 1 pm doubleheader at North Carolina A&T on Friday, May 14, followed by a 12 pm single game on Saturday afternoon to wrap up the season.
