RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Despite a pair of hits and RBIs from both
Sebastien Sarabia and
Brian Nicolas, the Coppin State baseball team dropped a 9-4 decision at California Baptist University on Sunday afternoon at Totman Stadium.
Sarabia finished 2-for-4 with a sacrifice fly and a run scored while Nicolas had his second multi-hit game of the three-game series to lead the Eagles offensively.
Mike Dorcean also drove in a run with a single while drawing a walk as
Wellington Balsley and
Jordan Hamberg also reached safely twice with base knocks to go with a free pass each.
Hamberg also got the start on the mound and pitched extremely well, allowing four runs on seven hits while fanning four in 4.2 innings. Making his first career appearance,
Sam Batis relieved Hamberg and retired two of his first three batters before giving way to
Luke Baker who threw 1.1 innings, allowing one earned run.
Nico Felber gave up two runs in his lone inning and
Justin Johnson retired the only batter he faced in his collegiate debut.
Hamberg got through the first three innings unscathed, retiring eight-straight batters before giving up a solo home run to lead off the fourth after Coppin left Nicolas stranded at third in its half of the frame. A sophomore from South Plainfield, N.J., Hamberg refocused, retiring the next two batters, and getting out of the inning on a fielder's choice to shortstop.
After getting the first two Lancers out in the fifth, the Eagles misplayed a popup and CBU made them pay with four more hits in the inning to take a 4-0 lead.
Coppin put a crooked number on the board with three runs in the sixth as Hamberg started a two-out rally with a single to center field. Sarabia followed with a single before Nicolas drove in Hamberg with another single up the middle. Dorcean was next with an RBI single, and a throwing error allowed both Sarabia and Nicolas to score, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
Cal Baptist got one of the runs back in the bottom of the sixth, which Coppin answered in the seventh on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Sarabia.
Darren Hagan scored on the play after he pinch ran for
Toran Smith who smacked a pinch-hit double to dead center field to start the inning.
The Lancers added a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth innings before Coppin threatened to no avail in the eighth and put one runner on in the ninth.
For the series against one of the top teams in the Nation, the Eagles hit .262 with seven extra-base hits while committing just three errors. The pitching staff combined for 24 strikeouts.
The Eagles return to action on Wednesday, February 23 when they travel to play Navy in a 2:00 pm start.
