TOWSON, Md. – Coppin State's softball team gave Towson all it could handle but dropped an 8-5 decision to the Tigers on Friday afternoon in the first day of the Demarini Tiger Clash. The Eagles dropped the earlier game to Providence, 18-0.
After two scoreless innings, Coppin got on the board in the third as
Vanessa Carrizosa helped her own cause with a two-run triple to the gap in right center.
Shawnee Ronyak and
Alexis Genovese scored on the play after drawing a walk and a single to right field, respectively.
Carrizosa got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half of the inning before the Eagles tacked on three more runs in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead.
Avianna Peterson led off with a walk, and after a
Savannah Howze single, Peterson came around to score on an error. Genovese then doubled through the left side, scoring both Ronyak and Howze.
Towson tied the score in the bottom of the fourth with five runs, all of which were unearned as Coppin made three errors in the frame. Coppin threatened in the fifth to no avail and Carrizosa threw a 1-2-3 on the bottom half before the Tigers plated three runs in the sixth to go up, 8-5.
Isabella Zalba delivered with a one-out double in the left but was left stranded in scoring position.
Genovese went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI against Towson while Carrizosa added pair of hits and two RBI.
Melanie Aguilera also reached safely twice in the game, recording a hit and drawing a walk.
Carrizosa went the distance on the rubber, allowing just three earned runs in 6.0 innings while striking out three.
In the opening game, Providence scored in all four of its innings off Ronyak and
Kayleigh Reome. Ronyak came through with the team's only base hit while Zalba also drew a walk.
Coppin will play Providence in its lone game on Saturday, March 5 starting at 12:30 pm before closing out the Invitational with games against Columbia (12:30 pm) and the host Tigers (3:00 pm) on Sunday, March 6.
