RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Coppin State's baseball team fell just short at California Baptist University, 6-5, on Saturday night at Totman Stadium. The Eagles (0-2) rallied from a 4-1 deficit to tie the score at 4-4 in the eighth, and 5-5 in the ninth, before the Lancers got a walkoff win.
Brian Nicolas led Coppin offensively, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, a walk and two runs scored while
Marcos Castillo and
Tyler Lloyd also had multi-hit efforts for CSU.
Jordan Hamberg also reached safely twice with a base hit and a walk as
Wellington Balsley and
Corey Miley added base knocks.
Rashad Ruff took the loss in relief as he allowed a run on three hits over the final 1.2 innings.
Tyler Nichol got the nod to start the game and struck out four while allowing two runs on five hits in 4.2 innings before giving way to
Tim Ruffino who gave up two unearned runs over 1.1 innings.
John Neeld retired all three of his batters via strikeout but gave up a run in his inning of work.
Cal Baptist took an early 2-0 lead with a two-run home run in the first, but Nichol settled down to strike out two batters the rest of the frame. As double play balls halted a pair of Coppin threats in the opening innings, Nichol got through the next three-plus innings unscathed before Ruffino relieved him for the final out in the fifth.
Coppin got on board with a run in its half of the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Nicolas and Miley, cutting the score to 2-1 in favor of the hosts. CBU added to its lead with a pair of runs in the sixth, but Nicolas got one of those runs back with a solo shot over the fence in right center field in the seventh.
Neeld struck out the side in the Lancer half of the seventh and Coppin capitalized in the eighth with a pair of runs to tie the score. Lloyd led off the frame with a single to left and scored all the way from first on an RBI double by Castillo. Following a single by Hamberg, and a new pitcher, Castillo tied the game by scoring on a wild pitch.
CBU once again regained the lead with a run in the eighth, but Castillo tied it up in the ninth with a sacrifice fly to deep center, allowing pitch hitter
Darren Hagan to score. Hagan led off the frame with a walk and advanced to third on sac bunts by Lloyd and Balsley.
Ruff managed to get a pair of outs in the ninth, including a strikeout for the second out, but the Lancers' got a walkoff single up the middle to take game two of the series.
The Eagles and Lancers wrap up their three-game series on Sunday, February 20 at 3 pm from Totman Stadium. First pitch is slated for 3 pm ET on ESPN+
